https://doi.org/10.82144/1a487845 https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/774 https://www.gbif.org/dataset/97a775fe-7e13-43bc-a6de-af9218b1dd93 https://obis.org/dataset/e92b6433-c003-47b2-8f46-6a1e87db48c9 Caterina Lanfredi Tethys Research Institute Primary contact caterina.lanfredi@polimi.it Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara Tethys Research Institute Primary contact tethys@tethys.org www.tethys.org OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

A328 LSRC building Durham NC 27708 US

seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu OBIS-SEAMAP Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University

A328 LSRC building Durham NC 27708 US

seamap-contact@duke.edu https://seamap.env.duke.edu distributor Caterina Lanfredi Tethys Research Institute Primary contact caterina.lanfredi@polimi.it owner Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara Tethys Research Institute Primary contact tethys@tethys.org www.tethys.org owner ACCOBAMS and WDCS The Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) and Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) http://www.accobams.org/ originator 2025-07-31 eng Original provider: Tethys Research Institute Dataset credits: Tethys Research Institute Abstract: This dataset, belonging as a whole to Tethys Research Institute, comprises the work carried out between 1986 and 2012 mainly in the Mediterranean Sea and in particular in the Corso-Ligurian-Provencal basin, in the Ionian Sea and in the Adriatic Sea. Research has also been carried out investigating cetaceans in Atlantic Ocean (Canary Islands, Morocco coasts) and in the Caribbean Sea. The dataset generated includes more than 8.400 sightings of cetaceans collected in 25 years of research activity. Occurrence GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type.xml Observation GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml Marine Biology Visual sighting Vessels Sightings N/A Effort data are only available for a subset of surveys. For records with time and observed count not available, the corresponding columns were empty. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC-BY-NC) 4.0 License. https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/774 Oceans,Mediterranean,Italy,cetacean distribution -67.341667 22.7965 45.633333 10.286944 1986-07-11 2012-11-22 Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). genus Balaenoptera Baleen whales species Balaenoptera acutorostrata Common minke whale species Balaenoptera borealis Sei whale species Balaenoptera edeni Eden's whale species Balaenoptera physalus Fin whale order Cetacea Cetaceans family Delphinidae Dolphins species Delphinus delphis Short-beaked common dolphin species Globicephala macrorhynchus Short-finned pilot whale species Globicephala melas Long-finned pilot whale species Grampus griseus Risso's dolphin family Hyperoodontidae Beaked whales species Kogia breviceps Pygmy sperm whale species Megaptera novaeangliae Humpback whale genus Mesoplodon Beaked whales species Mesoplodon bidens Sowerby's beaked whale species Mesoplodon densirostris Blainville's beaked whale species Mesoplodon europaeus Gervais' beaked whale species Peponocephala electra Melon-headed whale species Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale species Pseudorca crassidens False killer whale species Sousa teuszii Atlantic humpback dolphin genus Stenella Spinner dolphins species Stenella attenuata Pantropical spotted dolphin species Stenella clymene Clymene dolphin species Stenella coeruleoalba Striped dolphin species Stenella frontalis Atlantic spotted dolphin species Stenella longirostris Spinner dolphin species Tursiops truncatus Common bottlenose dolphin species Ziphius cavirostris Cuvier's beaked whale Founded in 1986, the Tethys Research Institute is a private non-profit organization specializing in cetacean research. Tethys has generated one of the largest datasets on Mediterranean cetaceans and contributed over 300 scientific publications. Tethys aims to protect the Mediterranean biodiversity by promoting the adoption of a precautionary approach for the management of natural resources. The work carried out by Tethys strives to prevent the decline of marine species and to encourage sustainable use of the marine environment. Tethys first conceived and proposed the creation a Marine Reserve in the Corso-Ligurian Basin, the “Pelagos Sanctuary.” Several internationally renowned institutions have emphasized the importance of the Sanctuary, including the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Bonn Convention on migratory species, and the newly-born Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Areas (ACCOBAMS). The Sanctuary has also been added to the list of Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI), created at the Barcelona Convention in 1999. This makes the Ligurian Sea Cetacean Sanctuary the first and only high seas protected area in the world. Moreover, based primarily on data collected by the Tethys Research Institute, a Dolphin Reserve was formally established in Losinj, Croatia in 2006. Research methods utilized by Tethys include the use of remote sensing and telemetry data, the combined use of laser range-finding binoculars and GPS to record the movements of whales, population studies based on distance sampling and photographic capture-recapture, bioacoustics research, behavioral sampling, remote collection of biopsy samples for genetic and toxicological analyses, and historical studies. The Institute holds vast photographic archives of cetacean images that have enabled the identification of over 1,500 individuals of eight Mediterranean species. Tethys Research Institute has involved in its expeditions thousands of people from all over the world, and has developed a remarkable cetacean research and conservation network. Tethys has been conducting its research and conservation activities thanks to support received from national and international organizations. Tethys is partner to the UNEP's Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS). The Italian Ministry of the Environment funded various cetacean research and conservation activities carried out by the Institute. The UNEP's Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC-SPA), the Earthwatch Institute, OceanCare and The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society WDCS have been providing support to specific projects conducted by Tethys in the context of a long-term collaboration. notPlanned Caterina Lanfredi Tethys Research Institute Primary contact caterina.lanfredi@polimi.it Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara Tethys Research Institute Primary contact tethys@tethys.org www.tethys.org NA NA NA Caterina Lanfredi owner Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara owner NA zd_774 2025-07-31T15:33:19-04:00 dataset Lanfredi, C. and G. Notarbartolo di Sciara. 2014. Tethys Research Institute shipboard survey cetacean sightings 1986-2012. Version 1.5.0. Dataset published in OBIS-SEAMAP. https://doi.org/10.82144/1a487845. OBIS-SEAMAP Dataset Page UTF-8 Interactive map https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/774 FGDC Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/774/fgdc EML Metadata UTF-8 XML https://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/774/eml OBIS-SEAMAP zd_774 zd_774 Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., T. Agardy, D. Hyrenbach, T. Scovazzi and P. Van Klaveren. 2007. The Pelagos sanctuary for Mediterranean marine mammals. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems: 18:367-391.