Addressing underwater noise and vessel strikes mitigation to support conservation efforts within the North-Western Mediterranean Particularly Sensitive Sea Area

The North-Western Mediterranean Sea is affected by intense human use (e.g., shipping, fishing, recreation, coastal urbanisation and industries, naval activities) which impacts on marine species survival. Marine mammal ecological and conservation science has made significant progress since the Pelagos Agreement came into force in 2002, and this now can inform better policies to be developed to mitigate such impacts, facilitating the well-being and recovery of Mediterranean marine mammals while allowing for the unavoidable human practices in the area to occur with the smallest possible environmental detriment. Within that context, conservation measures that generate multi-environmental benefits are to be explored and promoted, while also considering socio-economic impacts.

Shipping traffic has steadily increased in the Mediterranean over the past 50 years, as well as noise emissions, reported to have doubled between 2014 and 2019 in EU waters. The pressure it causes on marine mammals is assessed and identified at the EU, Barcelona Convention and IMO levels. Some measures, such as reduced vessel speed and others, have also been identified as generating multi-benefits by reducing greenhouse gas, ocean noise emissions and the risk of vessel strikes. Through ACCOBAMS’ support for regionally coordinated research and advocacy, such measures are more effectively promoted and implemented across member states.

In addition, the rise in shipping traffic also increased the number of lethal collisions with cetaceans, significantly affecting the endangered fin and sperm whale Mediterranean sub-populations. This led to the recent establishment of the North-Western Mediterranean Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which includes two recognized SPAMIs and MPAs. Associated Protective Measures (APM) include re-routing, reporting measures, and speed reduction and smart technology alerting ships of the presence of cetaceans. The application of these recommendations requires mapping of the critical habitats and fin and sperm whales’ density and fine-scale movements, and an increased effort on the robust assessment of the number of collisions from stranding programs. Robust data will allow to advocate for mandatory speed reduction (up to a maximum speed of 10 knots, following existing recommendations) and rerouting from the highest density areas. Quantitatively monitoring each vessel's compliance with the suggested measures within the PSSA boundaries is an essential step of an effective mitigation effort and will facilitate the robust assessment of the Associated Protective Measures.  By promoting a unified, regional response, ACCOBAMS, together with relevant stakeholders, can assist countries to ensure that these protective measures to reduce collision risk are consistently applied and monitored.

The Pelagos Sanctuary could be used as a laboratory to test recommendations at a large scale, become a pioneer area for meeting conservation objectives and draw conclusions on their effectiveness and inform decision-making at the IMO, the Barcelona Convention and the EU and its Member States, towards the implementation of the MSFD.