Dear Marmam and ECS members,
(sorry for cross-postings!)
My co-authors and I are pleased to share with you our recent publication
in PLoS ONE:
*Frantzis A, Leaper R, Alexiadou P, Prospathopoulos A, Lekkas D (2019)
Shipping routes through core habitat of endangered sperm whales along
the Hellenic Trench, Greece: Can we reduce collision risks? PLoS ONE
14(2): e0212016.*
Abstract
The Mediterranean sperm whale population is listed as ‘Endangered”. The
Hellenic Trench is the core habitat of the eastern Mediterranean sperm
whale sub-population that numbers two to three hundred individuals.
Major shipping routes running on or very close to the 1000 m depth
contour along the Hellenic Trench are causing an unsustainable number of
ship-strikes with sperm whales reviewed in this paper. Sperm whale
sighting and density data were combined with specific information on the
vessel traffic in the area (e.g., types of vessels, traffic patterns,
speed and traffic density), in order to estimate the risk of a
whale/ship interaction. Routing options to significantly reduce ship
strike risk by a small offshore shift in shipping routes were
identified. The overall collision risk for sperm whales in the study
area would be reduced by around 70%, while a maximum of 11 nautical
miles would be added to major routes and only around 5 nautical miles
for the majority of ships. No negative impacts were associated with
re-routing by shipping away from sperm whale habitat and there would be
additional shipping safety and environmental benefits. A significant
contribution to the overall conservation status of the marine Natura2000
sites in the area and very important population units of threatened
species such as Cuvier’s beaked whales, monk seals and loggerhead
turtles would be achieved, by the reduction of shipping noise and
reduced risk of any oil spills reaching the coasts, which are also
important touristic destinations in Greece.
This is an *Open Access* paper, which is *freely available online* from
the link below:
/https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0212016/
If you have any problem with the above link, please feel free to contact
me directly for a PDF copy at [email protected]
Best wishes,
Alexandros
--
___________________________________________
Dr. Alexandros Frantzis
Scientific director
Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute
Terpsichoris 21
16671 Vouliagmeni,
GREECE
Tel.: +30-210-8960108
e-mail: [email protected]
website: http://www.pelagosinstitute.gr
___________________________________________
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