ISPRA and cetacean monitoring: the ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative 2026 gets underway
In the summer of 2026, the ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative will resume, the synoptic survey aimed at estimating the distribution and abundance of cetacean populations across the entire Mediterranean basin. The initiative, promoted by the countries participating in the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area (ACCOBAMS), relies on the coordinated use of naval and aerial assets to provide updated scientific data, following up on the first edition carried out in 2018.
Italy is providing a direct contribution to the project through the scientific and technical activities of ISPRA. The Institute is actively involved in the international coordination of the ASI, with the participation of Giancarlo Lauriano on the Steering Committee since its very first edition.
For this new phase, under the guidance of the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security (Directorate-General for Biodiversity and the Sea), Italy is contributing to the initiative through activities planned within the framework of the Marine Strategy, operationally carried out by ISPRA using two aircraft.
Operations will officially begin on June 1 and will focus on a series of aerial monitoring activities based on the distance sampling method. Surveillance activities will cover a vast portion of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Adriatic Sea to the Tyrrhenian Sea via the Ionian Sea and southern Sicily (light blue area on the map), and will also extend to an area of Ionian Greece, where ISPRA is responsible for monitoring under the LIFE MareNatura project. This joint effort will make it possible to obtain accurate population estimates, which are essential for guiding international marine biodiversity conservation policies.
