Good morning list members, In 2009 two aerial surveys were conducted in the waters of the Pelagos Sanctuary (Western Mediterranean Sea), in winter and summer, underlining some shifts in fin whale distribution and abundance, when compared with previous years. The results will be presented at the upcoming Conference of the European Cetacean Society in Stralsund (22-24 March 2010, http://www.ozeaneum.de/en/ecs-2010.html). To better understand these shifts, the Tethys Research Institute and Ispra (ex-ICRAM) are organizing additional visual surveys to assess abundance and density of cetaceans in the waters around Italy. In particular we will be focusing on the Strait of Sicily (in the winter - February-March 2010), the Pelagos Sanctuary, the Tyrrhenian Sea (north and central) and the Corsica and Sardinia Seas (in the summer 2010). In order to better plan the surveys, especially those outside the Pelagos Sanctuary, we are collecting information on cetaceans' presence and relative abundance in the selected areas. We are therefore kindly asking for recent (unpublished or published) information on distribution of cetaceans, either from dedicated surveys or platforms of opportunity. The information provided do not need to include latitude and longitude (even if desirable) to protect data ownership, but would need to indicate species, date and area. Information on presence and seasonality in the Strait of Sicily (Around the Lampedusa Island) would be very appreciated, given the paucity of data available for that area. We are looking forward to receiving your inputs, with our best regards, Simone Panigada and Giancarlo Lauriano