BIOACOUSTICS - A TOOL FOR THE CONSERVATION OF CETACEANS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Massive human presence in the Mediterranean and inadequate management of marine resources have recently become a threat to marine mammal sur vival in this region. The main problems facing cetaceans in the Medite rranean include: by-catch in fisheries competition with artisanal coas tal gillnet fisheries, presence of noxious manmade, compounds in the t rophic chains, and finally, a generalised degradation of environmental quality, particularly evident over the continental shelf, caused by l oss of biodiversity, depletion of living resources, increased human di sturbance, and changes in the physical and chemical properties of the environment. Conserving cetaceans in the Mediterranean is a modern cha llenge: appropriate management schemes and pollution control measures should enable marine mammals to coexist with intense human activities, and the Mediterranean could provide an excellent testing ground for s uch an enterprise. Recent developments in the field of marine bioacous tics could provide information highly relevant to the conservation of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea: acoustic surveys can be performed to monitor the distribution and relative abundance pelagic species, an d to investigate habitat partitioning of coastal species. Analysis of distinctive vocalisations can indicate the likelihood of links between Mediterranean an Atlantic populations. Finally, acoustics can play a major role in solving problems posed by interactions between cetacean and fisheries, in monitoring the effects of high-intensity acoustic de terrents, and to understand the possible negative effects of some manm ade noise on cetacean populations.