Hi everybody, the following paper has been published on PLos ONE and can be downloaded from the following web page: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0022878 All the best, Simone Panigada Monitoring Winter and Summer Abundance of Cetaceans in the Pelagos Sanctuary (Northwestern Mediterranean Sea) Through Aerial Surveys Simone Panigada, Giancarlo Lauriano, Louise Burt, Nino Pierantonio, Greg Donovan Abstract Systematic long-term monitoring of abundance is essential to inform conservation measures and evaluate their effectiveness. To instigate such work in the Pelagos Sanctuary in the Mediterranean, two aerial surveys were conducted in winter and summer 2009. A total of 467 (131 in winter, 336 in summer) sightings of 7 species was made. Sample sizes were sufficient to estimate abundance of fin whales in summer (148; 95% CI = 87254) and striped dolphins in winter (19,462; 95% CI = 12 93929 273) and in summer (38 488; 95% CI = 27 44753 968). Numbers of animals within the Sanctuary are significantly higher in summer, when human activities and thus potential population level impacts are highest. Comparisons with data from past shipboard surveys suggest an appreciable decrease in fin whales within the Sanctuary area and an appreciable increase in striped dolphins. Aerial surveys proved to be more efficient than ship surveys, allowing more robust estimates, with smaller CIs and CVs. These results provide essential baseline data for this marine protected area and continued regular surveys will allow the effectiveness of the MPA in terms of cetacean conservation to be evaluated and inform future management measures. The collected data may also be crucial in assessing whether ship strikes, one of the main causes of death for fin whales in the Mediterranean, are affecting the Mediterranean population. ___________________________ Simone Panigada, Ph.D. Vice-President panigada@inwind.it Tethys Research Institute Viale G.B. Gadio 2, 20121 Milano, Italy tel. +39 0272001947 / 0272013943 fax +39 0286995011 tethys@tethys.org <http://www.tethys.org/>