DIVES

DIVES

Deep-sea Investigation with a View to protect Elusive cetacean Species (DIVES).

In the Mediterranean Sea, populations of sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) are both included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Endangered and Vulnerable, respectively. The project DIVES aims to acquire critical information about these vulnerable and elusive marine mammals in the Western Ionian Sea. This area represents the main corridor connecting the Eastern and Western Med basins sub-populations of both species, and very little research effort has been carried out. The study will identify possible differences in diving behaviour which may result in some populations being more susceptible to anthropogenic impact. DIVES will combine deep-sea Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) and offshore boat-based campaigns of visual/acoustic survey and bio-logging.

Objectives:
The main goal of the project is to study the diving behaviour and feeding ecology of the sperm whale and Cuvier’s beaked whale in a data-poor area with respect to marine mammal ecology and conservation, taking advantage of existing deep-sea cabled observatories and developing dedicated multidisciplinary boat-based surveys. DIVES will acquire essential information on target species’:

Spatiotemporal distribution (presence/absence, temporal trends, spatial trends, migration routes);
Behaviour (group composition, behavioural state, diving behaviour, feeding activity);
Locomotion (diving profile, energy expenditure, fine-scale orientation);
Communication and orientation (i.e., vocal repertoire, biosonar, social sounds).

Project Partners: