Dear Marmam list, the Tethys Research Institute (<http://www.tethys.org/>www.tethys.org) has been contracted to monitor cetaceans' presence and distribution in the area of the Stretto di Messina, between the Island of Sicily and the mainland of Italy. The project will last 12 months and will provide baseline data on the species regularly using the area and on those migrating through the Stretto in light of the possible construction of a suspended bridge connecting the island and the mainland. For more information on the bridge, please refer to the following web page: <http://www.strettodimessina.it/>www.strettodimessina.it. We are looking for references (published papers, grey literature, reports, etc.) on the possible impact of manmade infrastructures on the distribution and movements of cetaceans. In particular we would like to gather information on the two different project phases: 1) infrastructure construction - these information can also derive from other operations (e.g. pile driving); 2) the impact of the built bridge on cetacean fauna. At present we have found very little information, mainly on the possible impact of dams on river dolphins (see reference below) and nothing specifically on bridges. We would be happy to provide a report of the messages received and post it on Marmam. Thank you very much for your collaboration, Sincerely, Margherita Zanardelli, Simone Panigada Reeves, R. R., and S. Leatherwood. 1994. Dams and river dolphins: can they co-exist? Ambio 23:172-175. Smith, B. D., and R. R. Reeves. 2000. Report of the Workshop on the Effects of Water Development on River Cetaceans, 26-28 February 1997, Rajendrapur, Bangladesh. Pp. 15-22 in R. R. Reeves, B. D. Smith and T. Kasuya, eds. Biology and conservation of freshwater cetaceans in Asia. Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. ___________________________ Tethys Research Institute Viale G.B. Gadio,2 I-20121 Milan, Italy http://www.tethys.org e-mail: tethys@tethys.org