Maritime traffic effects on biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea Volume 1 - Review of impacts, priority areas and mitigation measures Edited by Ameer Abdulla, PhD and Olof Linden, PhD IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation / IUCN Global Marine Programme cover.indd 2 16/9/08 13:35:23 Maritime traffic effects on biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea Volume 1 - Review of impacts, priority areas and mitigation measures Edited by Ameer Abdulla, PhD and Olof Linden, PhD portada.indd 1 16/9/08 13:24:04 The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea, or IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea or IUCN. This publication has been made possible by funding from the Italian Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea. This review is a contribution of the Marine Biodiversity and Conservation Science Group of the IUCN Global and Mediterranean Marine Programme. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Malaga, Spain. Copyright: © 2008 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Ameer Abdulla, PhD, Olof Linden, PhD (editors). 2008. Maritime traffic effects on biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea: Review of impacts, priority areas and mitigation measures. Malaga, Spain: IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. 184 pp. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1079-2 Legal deposit: Design & layout by: ATEA (www.atea.es) Copy-editing by: Christopher J. Tribe Cover photo by: Ameer Abdulla Produced by: IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation Publication Management: Chadi Abi Faraj Printed by: Solprint, Mijas (Malaga), Spain Available from: IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation C/ Marie Curie 35 29590 Campanillas, Malaga, Spain Tel: +34 952 028430 - Fax: +34 952 028145 www.iucn.org/publications This book is printed on paper credits.indd 1 18/9/08 09:37:27 Table of contents List of contributors ........................................................................................................ 5 Foreword ......................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1 Biodiversity impacts of ship movement, noise, grounding and anchoring Simone Panigada, Gianni Pavan, Joseph A. Borg, Bella S. Galil and Carola Vallini 1. Shipping noise, a challenge to the survival and welfare of marine life? ..................................................................... 10 2. Direct physical effects of marine vessels on benthic habitats and species .............................................................................. 22 3. Shipping-derived antifouling biocides in the Mediterranean Sea ................................................................................ 27 4. Significant collisions with marine mammals and turtles .............................................................................................. 33 5. References ............................................................................................. 41 Chapter 2 Ship-generated oil discharges and exhaust emissions in the Mediterranean basin: their distribution and impact Charles Galdies 1. Background ............................................................................................ 58 2. Oil tanker traffic volume in the Mediterranean Sea ................................ 59 3. Volume and spatial distribution of discharged oil in the Mediterranean Sea ....................................................................... 61 4. Generation and management of hydrocarbon wastes ........................... 64 5. Areas in the Mediterranean Sea with a high frequency of oil spills ............................................................................. 66 6. Correlation between high-spill areas and oil contamination in water, sediments and biota ................................................................ 70 7. Ecological and physiological effects of oil on marine organisms .............................................................................. 75 8. Significance of ship-generated emissions on the marine environment ..................................................................... 79 9. References .............................................................................................. 84 Chapter 3 Impacts of shipping on the biodiversity of large marine vertebrates: persistent organic pollutants, sewage and debris Maria Cristina Fossi and Giancarlo Lauriano 1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 96 2. Persistent organic pollutants and their ecological effects on top predators ......................................................................... 97 libro_volumen1_12sep_trasteandocolor.indd 3 18/09/2008 9:12:15 3. Sewage discharge and plastics: effects of ingested plastic on large marine vertebrates, including marine mammals and turtles .............................................................................. 104 4. Conclusions and recommendations ...................................................... 107 5. Acknowledgements ............................................................................... 108 6. References ............................................................................................. 109 Chapter 4 Biodiversity impacts of species introductions via marine vessels Bella S. Galil, Anna Occhipinti-Ambrogi and Stephan Gollasch 1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 118 2. Vessel-transported alien species in the Mediterranean ......................... 121 3. What is the most important vector and why? ........................................ 125 4. Effects of vessel-introduced marine species on ecological communities ......................................................................... 128 5. Conclusions ........................................................................................... 133 6. Recommendations ................................................................................. 135 7. Biodiversity offsets ................................................................................ 136 8. Acknowledgements ............................................................................... 137 9. References ............................................................................................. 138 10. Annex ..................................................................................................... 150 Chapter 5 Maritime traffic effects on biodiversity and potential mitigation measures: a synthesis Ameer Abdulla and Olof Linden 1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 160 2. Maritime impacts in the Mediterranean ................................................. 161 3. Potential measures to manage and mitigate maritime impacts .................................................................................................. 165 4. Conclusions and priorities for management .......................................... 168 Annex ............................................................................................................................... 169 libro_volumen1_12sep_trasteandocolor.indd 4 18/09/2008 9:12:15 List of contributors Ameer Abdulla IUCN Global and Mediterranean Marine Programme Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía Calle Marie Curie, 35 Málaga, Spain Email [email protected] Joseph A. Borg Institute for Environmental Studies 12, Sir Arthur Borton Street, Mosta MST1881, Malta Email [email protected] Maria Cristina Fossi Department of Environmental Sciences Siena University Via Mattioli 4 53100 Siena, Italy Email [email protected] Charles Galdies 4Sight Consulting Group Ltd. Class Court A Flat 1 Danny Cremona Street Hamrun HMR 08, MALTA Email [email protected] Bella S. Galil National Institute of Oceanography Israel Oceanographic & Limnological Research POB 8030, Haifa 31080, Israel Email [email protected] Stephan Gollasch GoConsult Grosse Brunnenstr. 61 22763 Hamburg, Germany Email [email protected] Giancarlo Lauriano ICRAM Via di Casalotti 300 Rome, Italy List of contributors 5 libro_volumen1_12sep_trasteandocolor.indd 5 18/09/2008 9:12:15 Olof Linden Professor (Marine Environment Management) World Maritime University (WMU) International Maritime Organization (IMO) PO Box 500 20124 Malmö, Sweden Email [email protected] Anna Occhipinti-Ambrogi DET-Dip. di Ecologia del Territorio, Sezione di Ecologia, Università degli Studi di Pavia Via S. Epifanio 14 I-27100 Pavia, Italy Email [email protected] Simone Panigada Tethys Research Institute Viale G.B. Gadio 2, 20121 Milano, Italy Email [email protected] Website http://www.tethys.org Gianni Pavan Università degli Studi di Pavia Centro Interdisciplinare di Bioacustica e Ricerche Ambientali Via Taramelli, 24