Thermaikos Gulf includes a wetland complex of estuaries, salt marshes and lagoons that provide an important habitat for wildlife and ecosystem services for the local communities and above. Thermaikos Biodiversity Project is launched as a multidisciplinary project to study marine biodiversity and inform the public about marine life and ecosystems.
The project
The project started in 2021 as Thermaikos Dolphin Project with systematic dolphin monitoring in the area to perform photo-identification and create catalogues of individuals for each species, which now include 71 individuals of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), 25 short–beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and 9 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). In addition, educational activities are included with the aim to inform the younger visitors of SANI Resort about the biodiversity in Greece, with a focus on cetaceans. In the following years, the monitoring continued, the catalogues of individuals are updated and the behaviour of the dolphins is also studied. Photo-identification activities, based on the catalogues created, were also added to the educational activities for kids.
Catalogues
Reports
Actions for 2024
Marine mammal systematic monitoring
A major focus of the project will be on the systematic study of marine mammals in the area. Greek waters host 8 cetacean species with different conservation status due to intensive human activities such as habitat loss, bycatch, underwater noise and other disturbances. These species are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus), the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris).
Our aim is to estimate the abundance of dolphins inhabiting the waters surrounding the area of West Kassandreia (eastern part of Thermaikos Gulf) using the photo-identification method, as well as to study their behaviour and try to understand how they interact with the possible threats they face. This is a continuation of the previous Thermaikos Dolphin Project, which was carried out between 2021 and 2023 and allowed us to create the catalogues of the short-beaked common dolphin, the stripped dolphin and the common bottlenose dolphin in Thermaikos Gulf.
In this continuation of the project, iSea will update and expand the existing catalogues by increasing the frequency of surveys.
Ray ex situ conservation
Sharks and rays are one of the most threatened groups of fish, with 1/3 of the species facing extinction globally. All conservation efforts are important to protect this group of animals. For this reason, the team of iSea will establish a protocol for the preparation and monitoring of a hatchery for the egg cases of the rough ray (Raja radula) and explore the potential for ex situ conservation of this species. The rough ray is a Critically Endangered, endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. Individuals can reach up to 70 cm in length and lay their eggs on sandy or muddy bottoms. This makes them easy to catch in trawls, demersal gillnets and longlines.
Through the project By ElasmoCatch, iSea has identified an important area for the species in Kavala Bay. Currently, in the context of the project ‘Protecting the Endangered Rough Skate Raja radula in the Thracean Sea’ iSea team works closely with the local community of fishers to define the reproductive aggregation and nursery of the species in the area and to assess the impact of local fisheries. However, during fieldwork, egg cases of the species are often found entangled in nets. Some of these egg cases have the potential to hatch if they are treated properly, but until now they are being discarded at ports. The goal of Thermaikos Biodiversity Project is to find the proper conditions for the hatching of these egg cases. Once hatched, the newborn rays will be released back into the wild, helping to maintain the populations of the Endangered Raja radula.
Snorkelling Tours
Citizens can be involved in scientific research and become Citizen Scientists, an effective way to collect data while enjoying nature. New technologies and online platforms provide valuable tools that enhance citizens collaboration with other naturalists and scientists and support the public’s engagement with science. This interaction and process increases the knowledge of citizen scientists on different topics they are interested in and involved in, but also connects them to nature!
Through the Thermaikos Biodiversity Project we will transform snorkelling tours into an experience of exploring marine biodiversity in shallow waters. Participants will be informed about the local marine biodiversity, followed by their experiential interaction with it during snorkelling tours! In addition, by promoting the iNaturalist platform among them, they will be introduced to Citizen Science and guided to easily share their observations and become members of the biggest community of naturalists globally.
Educational events
The Thermaikos Biodiversity Project also aims to raise awareness among children about the local biodiversity, the conservation status of cetacean populations in Greek waters and the threats they face. In collaboration with the Kids’ Club at Sani Resort, iSea runs a series of activities and games for kids to make them aware of cetacean species, their characteristics and the problems they face in their natural environment.
Goals for 2024
Now the project has turned into Thermaikos Biodiveristy Project and its actions have been strengthened by the participation of visitors' observations and recordings of the local marine biodiversity, and by the effort to restore the population of the rough skate.
Find more about the target species
More about cetaceans:
Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) – Conservation Status in the Mediterranean: Vulnerable
The bottlenose dolphin is the most common coastal dolphin species in Greece and can be found throughout the whole country. It is considered one of the most popular cetacean species worldwide as it is often kept in dolphinaria and zoos. In Greece, it can reach up to 3.30 m. Find more here.
Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) – Conservation Status in the Mediterranean: Endangered
Once quite common in the Mediterranean, it has been declining in the basin since the ‘60s due to overfishing-induced prey depletion and its entanglement in fishing gears. It is noteworthy that despite its generalized population decline in the Mediterranean, the North Aegean still constitutes a stronghold for the species. In Greece, it can reach up to 2.27 m. In the Mediterranean, it is broadly known as common dolphin as there is no other short-beaked dolphin in the region. Find more here.
Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) – Conservation Status in the Mediterranean: Vulnerable
In Greece, it has been reported in most regions in open areas. Its body shape is similar to the one of the common dolphins which it can be mistaken for while on the field. Its distinctive characteristic is a gray stripe that extends from its eyes up until its dorsal fin. In Greece, it can reach up to 2.20 m. Find more here.
More about rays:
Rough skate (Raja radula) – Conservation status in the Mediterranean: Endangered
This species is endemic in the Mediterranean Sea, from shallow waters to depths of 300 m. Individuals present two characteristic eye-spots in the dorsal part of the body and can grow up to 70 cm. Rough skates feed mainly on crustaceans, fish and molluscs found on the sandy bottoms they inhabit.
Project's Team:
Ioannis Giovos
Born in Thessaloniki, Ioannis is a graduate of the Biology Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, with a Master’s degree in Fisheries Biology and Management from the same University. Currently, he continues his studies at the University of Patras in collaboration with the University of Padua as a Ph.D. Candidate focusing on shark and ray conservation policies.
With over a decade of experience in Mediterranean apex predators conservation and having served in major organisations such as the Tethys Research Institute, the Institute of Marine Research and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, Ioannis currently coordinates several projects and initiatives related to the conservation of sharks and rays in the Mediterranean. At the same time, he is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group, he is the current President of the European Elasmobranch Association. He has more than 50 articles published in scientific journals and more than 60 communications at international and national conferences while he has been involved in the drafting of 3 Action Plans for Endangered Species and participated in the publication of 5 books. He speaks 3 foreign languages, Greek (native) English (C1), Spanish (B2) and is a PADI diving instructor. He’s the Conservation Officer of iSea.
Contact Info:
Email: [email protected]
tel. +302313090696
Andrea Tomé Perez
Andrea holds a degree in Biology from the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain and a Master’s in Biodiversity, Conservation and Evolution from the University of Valencia, Spain. Her main research interests have always been related to marine biology and marine ecosystems.
Since the beginning of her professional career, she has focused on the systematic study of populations of common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) and Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) that inhabit the Northeastern Aegean Sea. She is passionate about the bioacoustics and behaviour of these species.
Andrea is a certified diver and is in the process of obtaining her boat driving licence. She works at iSea as a Project Manager.
Contact Info:
Email: [email protected]
Mob: +306932664309 & +34685702743
Collaborators
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