Dear all, We have just been informed from the NavalNews website that NATO exercise Dynamic Manta (DYMA20) began yesterday Feb. 24 2020. https://navalnews.net/natos-advanced-asw-exercise-dynamic-manta-2020-kicks-o... According to the above article, 9 Allied nations are converging in the Central Mediterranean Sea (almost the entire Ionian Sea) for advance anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface warfare (ASuW) training. That means that military sonar will be used, in areas inhabited by Cuvier's beaked whales, and very close to areas where several previous atypical mass strandings have occurred. Four atypical mass strandings (1996, 1997, 2011, 2014) and one live stradning (2000) have occurred in the past during the use of military sonar along the Hellenic Trench (Greek coasts), and some more along the Italian coasts. Most of the participating nations (France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey) are members of ACCOBAMS. ACCOBAMS has repeatedly urged for avoiding habitats of Cuviers beaked whales while designing such exercises and has mapped critical areas for the species in the Mediterranean Sea. The Hellenic Trench is probably the most important hotspot for this species according to this maps, it is a proposed MPA by ACCOBAMS and more recently was the first area to be listed as IMMA (Important Marine Mammal Area) at the global scale for both its sperm whale and Cuvier's beaked whale population units. Although the published map (Notice to airmen) of the current military activity does not include the Hellenic Trench (Italy is the hosting country and no precise geographical info is available about the military sonar use), previous military sonar use in the Ionian Italian coasts provoked a mass stranding in both the Italian and the Greek coasts (mainly in Corfu and western Greece in 2011). We cannot know how important the damage will be this time and if the way that sonar will be used will send impacted whales to the Ionian coasts or make them sink and disappear in deep waters. With this message we wish: 1) To inform the cetological community 2) To alert local stranding networks in the Ionian coasts, so that they are ready to respond in case of stranding events 3) To let all the concerned parties, national and international, know that a major old environmental problem remains still unresolved and keeps impacting critical areas of threaten cetacean species. All the best, Alexandros -- ___________________________________________ Dr. Alexandros Frantzis Scientific director Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute Terpsichoris 21 16671 Vouliagmeni, GREECE Tel.: +30-210-8960108 e-mail: afrantzis@otenet.gr website: http://www.pelagosinstitute.gr ___________________________________________