Dear colleagues, It is with great pleasure that I would like to share my most recent publication:
Notarbartolo di Sciara G. 2016. Marine mammals in the Mediterranean Sea: an overview. In: G. Notarbartolo di Sciara, M. Podestà, B.E. Curry (Editors), Mediterranean marine mammal ecology and conservation. Advances in Marine Biology 75:1-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.005 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.005> Abstract: Despite being a small part of the world’s oceans, the Mediterranean Sea hosts a diverse marine mammal fauna, with a total of 28 different species known to occur or to have occurred in the region. Species currently recognised as regular in the Mediterranean – the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus and 11 cetaceans (fin whale Balaenoptera physalus, sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus, Cuvier’s beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris, short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis, long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas, Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus, killer whale Orcinus orca, striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba, rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis, common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena relicta) have adapted well to the region’s environmental conditions but their coexistence with humans is problematic. All the regular species are represented in the Mediterranean by populations genetically distinct from their North Atlantic relatives. Seventeen other species (three pinnipeds and 14 cetaceans) occur or have occurred in the Mediterranean as vagrants from adjacent regions. Impacts on the conservation status of marine mammals in the region deriving from a variety of threats include: a) mortality caused by deliberate killing, naval sonar, ship strikes, epizootics, fisheries bycatch, chemical pollution and ingestion of solid debris; b) short-term redistribution caused by naval sonar, seismic surveys, vessel disturbance and vessel noise; and c) long-term redistribution caused by fishery-induced food depletion, coastal development and possibly climate change. Accordingly, seven of the 12 marine mammals regular in the Mediterranean region are listed as Threatened on IUCN’s Red List; regrettably, three are still Data Deficient and two remain unassessed. The paper can be accessed from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S006528811630030X <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S006528811630030X> Alternatively, please send PDF requests to [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> All the best, Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara
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