Network of Conservation Educators & Practitioners The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals Author(s): Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara, David Hyrenbach, and Tundi Agardy Source: Lessons in Conservation, Vol. 2, pp. 91-109 Published by: Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History Stable URL: ncep.amnh.org/linc/ This article is featured in Lessons in Conservation, the official journal of the Network of Conservation Educators and Practitioners (NCEP). NCEP is a collaborative project of the American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) and a number of institutions and individuals around the world. Lessons in Conservation is designed to introduce NCEP teaching and learning resources (or “modules”) to a broad audience. NCEP modules are designed for undergraduate and professional level education. These modules—and many more on a variety of conservation topics—are available for free download at our website, ncep.amnh.org. To learn more about NCEP, visit our website: ncep.amnh.org. All reproduction or distribution must provide full citation of the original work and provide a copyright notice as follows: “Copyright 2008, by the authors of the material and the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation of the American Museum of Natural History. All rights reserved.” Illustrations obtained from the American Museum of Natural History’s library: images.library.amnh.org/digital/ CASE STUDIES 91 The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara,* David Hyrenbach, † and Tundi Agardy ‡ *Tethys Research Institute; Milano, Italy, email [email protected] † Duke University; Durham, NC, U.S.A., email [email protected] ‡ Sound Seas; Bethesda, MD, U.S.A., email [email protected] Source: R. Gilmore R. Source: The Pelagos Sanctuary for Lessons in Conservation Mediterranean Marine Mammals http://ncep.amnh.org/ncep 92 CASE STUDIES Table of Contents Overview..................................................................................................................93 Historic, Conflicting Quotes on Whales in the Mediterranean...................................93 Problem Statement....................................................................................................94 History ....................................................................................................................95 Box 1. High Seas..................................................................................................95 Box 2. NGOs.......................................................................................................96 Box 3. Champions of the Ocean Environment: The Role of Individuals in Establishing MPAs......................................................................97 The Pelagos Sanctuary...............................................................................................99 Current Status..........................................................................................................100 Box 4. From Phytoplankton to Fin Whales.........................................................100 Box 5. Fin Whale Natural History in the Mediterranean.....................................102 Special Challenges...................................................................................................103 Management........................................................................................................103 Scientific Monitoring.........................................................................................104 Looking to the Future.............................................................................................105 Recommendations...................................................................................................106 Conclusions............................................................................................................106 Discussion Questions..............................................................................................107 Additional Reading................................................................................................107 Terms of Use..........................................................................................................107 Literature Cited......................................................................................................107 The Pelagos Sanctuary for Lessons in Conservation Mediterranean Marine Mammals http://ncep.amnh.org/ncep CASE STUDIES 93 The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals Text by Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara and David Hyrenbach Boxes by David Hyrenbach and Tundi Agardy Overview In the Mediterranean -- one of the best-known, heavily utilized bodies of water around the world -- a recent discovery pro- voked surprise and provided impetus for conservation. Large populations of eight marine mammal species, including several cetacean species, were discovered, supported by a permanent frontal system concentrating vast populations of zooplankton and other food sources. The presence of these spectacular mammals in such a heavily used area surprised the public and the scientific community alike. The confluence of this discovery, and heightened public awareness about a spate of marine mam- mal strandings resulting from disease and by-catch in the drift net fishery, has led to a drive to protect this newly discovered special feature. The governments of Italy, France, and Monaco made an unprecedented move to protect this high seas area by declaring it a marine mammal sanctuary called “Pelagos”. The drive to protect the area was led by a few environmental champions, who recognized both the threats and the opportuni- ties to promote large-scale marine conservation. These champions include Prince Rainier III, who mobilized Monaco and led the neighboring states into multilateral agreements, top diplomats, legal scholars and the founder of Tethys, a highly regarded Italian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). The opportunity to establish a tri-national marine protected area was, para- doxically, created by the lack of mechanisms for protecting the high seas, since Mediterranean countries have not yet declared 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), and no legal framework existed for management of marine areas outside of the 12-mile territorial seas. The responsibility to successfully implement the Pelagos Sanctuary still rests on the three governments, but the conservation effort’s success will likely rest on a committed drive by civil society to keep pressure on the public sector to live up to its commitments. Historic, Conflicting Quotes on Whales in the Mediterranean 1985: “The Mediterranean is not a very productive sea. [It]shows 1989: “The oligotrophy of the western Mediterranean: no appreciable upwelling… [and] visible blooms and red tides are of a fading paradigm?” limited occurrence.” but... -R. Margalef, 1985 -G. Jacques, 1989 1899: “Concerning cetaceans, I had the opportunity of making inter- 1965: “The Fin whale pays a heavy tribute to the esting observations. For instance, it is generally believed that to find whaling industry, and therefore, although its catches are these animals one must travel to the Arctic seas … In those regions, theoretically regulated, the species’ population size ap- during two campaigns at sea, I haven’t been able to sight a single ceta- pears to be compromised. Such industry, however, is cean, whereas from my home in Monaco, from my window, I can often practically inexistent in the Mediterranean due to the see some. In order to find cetaceans, and to find them in large numbers, but... rarity of these Cetacea.” one must visit the Mediterranean.” -Albert 1 , Prince of Monaco, -A. Toschi, 1965 (W.H. Kuehl, 1901) The Pelagos Sanctuary for Lessons in Conservation Mediterranean Marine Mammals http://ncep.amnh.org/ncep 94 CASE STUDIES Problem Statement area (Jacques, 1989), while others surveyed the entire Medi- terranean for cetaceans (Notarbartolo di Sciara et al., 1993). The Pelagos Marine Sanctuary (Figure 1) was established for The data from ship-based transects highlighted the presence three primary reasons: (1) the discovery of significant popula- of important cetacean habitats and populations within a wide tions of fin whales Balaenoptera( physalus) and numerous other marine area between Corsica and the continental coasts of cetacean species in the Ligurian Sea (Figure 2); (2) the emer- France and Italy, known as the Corsican-Ligurian-Provençal gence of signs that significant threats to these cetaceans exist- basin (Forcada et al., 1995, 1996). ed, based primarily on evidence of a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) epizootic, or mass disease event, in 1989, and During the same period, public recognition of threats to ma- increasing numbers of strandings of marine mammals acci- rine biodiversity grew. In part this awareness was spurred dentally caught in the by strandings caused drift net fishery; and by cetacean acciden- (3) no adequate legal tal catch, otherwise framework existed to known as by-catch, in provide an adequate the Italian pelagic drift- mechanism for the net fishery for sword- protection of marine fish. (Pelagic drift net wildlife in the Medi- fisheries are those that terranean high seas, take place offshore in- where most of these volving large hanging cetaceans are found. nets through which fish and other marine The significance of