PELAGOS NOISE assessed the impact of acoustic pollution on cetaceans within the Pelagos Sanctuary, with focus on the distribution of the Cuvier’s beaked whale and the sperm whale, the two most susceptible species to submarine noise. The project was financed by the Pelagos International Sanctuary.
CIMA Research Foundation has investigated whether the noise caused by maritime traffic disturbs these two populations and modifies their behaviours. A survey of maritime traffic through a special antenna was able to identify the most frequented routes, the intensity of travel and the speed of the ships navigating the Sanctuary. These data were then used, together with those collected by Gis3M and by Chrisar, to obtain a noise assessment, which the Politecnico of Milan used to implement a distribution model in terms of noise and naval traffic. This made it possible to determine the degree of risk for the future, based on the noise emitted on the habitats of the Cuvier’s beaked whale and the sperm whale.
The project resulted is risk map which can be integrated with other data and tools to establish new conservation strategies for the two species. Since noise is linked to the ships presence and speed, it could for example, be discussed with maritime traffic operators to mitigate their impact by reducing speed or eventually modifying their routes.
Within the project and aimed at raising awareness on future new generations, educational labs were organized within the Science Festival both in Nice and in Genoa, where CIMA Research Foundation has participated with three dedicated games called Whale Games.