Cetaceans in Greece: Present status of knowledge

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Sighting data Ten cetacean species (all but the minke whale) have been sighted in the Greek Seas (Table 1). Two dolphin species, the striped dolphin (36.9%) and the common bottlenose dolphin (21.6%) accounted for more than half of the total number of sighting records. Dedicated sperm whale surveys (joint acoustic and visual methods) resulted in a relatively high percentage of sightings for this species (21.1%). Sightings of short-beaked common dolphins and Cuvier’s beaked whales were less frequent (9.9 and 4.9%, respectively); sightings of fin whales and Risso’s dolphins were relatively rare (2.7 and 2.5%, respectively). Finally, sightings of humpback whales, false killer whales and harbour porpoises were very rare and occurred twice for humpback whales (single anumals) and once for the other two species. If we consider only the surveys made in the pelagic waters and near the continental slope, the striped dolphin was the most frequently observed species, followed by the sperm whale, the Cuvier’s beaked whale, the Risso’s dolphin and the fin whale. Above the continental shelf, the common bottlenose dolphin was the most frequently observed species followed by the short-beaked common dolphin. 18
SUMMARIZED INFORMATION FOR ALL COMMON SPECIES Table 2: Summary of information on the eight cetacean species that are regularly found in the Greek Seas. *Proposed IUCN Red List classification (Reeves & Notarbartolo di Sciara 2006) Details (in page) Greek Habitat IUCN Status common name Type Depth Distance Geographic distribution Main threats Mediterranean* Globally from coasts English common name Species Data deficient Endangered 23 Ship strikes in the western Mediterranean Present in N Ionian Sea and especially from NW of Lefkada Island north up to N Corfu; at 2.9 km (coastal) 14.7 km (0.1-22.8 km) 81 m (coastal) 670 m (50-1337 m) Pelagic, occasionally coastal 1 Balaenoptera physalus Fin whale �� Endangered Vulnerable 27 Ship strikes Noise Plastic debris least occasionally in Saronikos Mainly along the Hellenic Trench from Kefallonia to E Rodos, also in deep basins/trenches of the Aegean Sea (Myrtoon, Cretan, N Ikarion, NW Aegean Sea) Present and locally (S Crete, W Lefkada) common all along the Hellenic Trench; present or common over steep depressions of the Aegean (e.g. N. Sporades) Common in Myrtoon Sea south to NW Crete, present or common in N. Sporades and Chalkidiki, present or rare or seasonal in all other Aegean and Ionian Seas Present in all coastal areas, straits, gulfs, and also between islands in the entire Ionian, Aegean and Cretan Seas with no exceptions. Common in all areas over depths >500 m (present in >200 m) including Gulf of Corinth. Absent/vagrant in depths
Page 1 and 2: Cetaceans in Greece: Present status
Page 3: Organisations supporting the Initia
Page 7: ORIGIN AND SCOPE OF THIS REPORT The
Page 10 and 11: According to the distribution maps
Page 12 and 13: not belong to the suborder of mysti
Page 14 and 15: Data collection Available cetacean
Page 16 and 17: from the network was initially cons
Page 18 and 19: Distribution and effort The distrib
Page 23: CETACEAN SPECIES COMMONLY OCCURRING
Page 26 and 27: Reported sightings and strandings T
Page 28 and 29: Main threats In the western Mediter
Page 32 and 33: published stomach content contained
Page 36 and 37: the stranding and death of several
Page 40 and 41: IUCN Red List classification Medite
Page 45 and 46: Drawing by Massimo Demma / ICRAM Ta
Page 47 and 48: Degree of residency and/or isolatio
Page 49 and 50: Drawing by Massimo Demma Taxonomy D
Page 51 and 52: a similar abundance. Short-beaked c
Page 53: 2008b). No information is available
Page 58 and 59: important: anchovy, sprat (Sprattus
Page 61 and 62: Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1
Page 63 and 64: Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépè
Page 69 and 70: Steno bredanensis (G. Cuvier in Les
Page 71 and 72:
FALSE REPORTS OF CETACEAN SPECIES I
Page 73 and 74:
WHAT IS KNOWN, WHAT REMAINS UNKNOWN
Page 75 and 76:
ARE THE GREEK CETACEAN POPULATIONS
Page 77 and 78:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to sev
Page 79 and 80:
Bearzi G., Politi E., Agazzi S., Az
Page 81 and 82:
García-Martinez J., Barrio E., Rag
Page 83 and 84:
Notarbartolo di Sciara G., Demma M.
Page 85 and 86:
ANNEX I: Distribution of searching
Page 87 and 88:
Balaenoptera physalus FIN WHALE (Π
Page 89 and 90:
Ziphius cavirostris CUVIER’S BEAK
Page 91 and 92:
Tursiops truncatus COMMON BOTTLENOS
Page 93 and 94:
Delphinus delphis SHORT-BEAKED COMM
Page 95 and 96:
ANNEX III: Additional references on
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Cetaceans in Greece: Present status of knowledge

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