The research vessel Song of the Whale has officially departed from the port of Vilamoura, Portugal. With its departure, the second ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative (ASI2) has begun, involving monitoring campaigns across the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Atlantic waters.
Over the next three months, scientists from several countries in the region will rotate onboard the sailing vessel to collect data on cetaceans, marine megafauna, and marine litter. The research activities will combine visual observations from the ship’s platform with acoustic monitoring, with particular attention to deep-diving species such as sperm whales.
The aim of the project is to gather essential information on the distribution and abundance of cetaceans, as well as other components of marine biodiversity, including baleen whales, dolphins, rays, sharks, and sea turtles. The data will also include records of marine debris, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the state of ocean ecosystems.
The ASI2 initiative represents an unprecedented basin-scale scientific effort. The information collected will be crucial to support more effective conservation policies and to strengthen the protection of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean and adjacent waters.
A key project partner is Marine Conservation Research International, established to continue the “Song of the Whale” research programme launched in the late 1980s. The organization has developed extensive expertise in applied conservation projects, with particular attention to threatened species, marine habitats, and human impacts such as underwater noise and marine litter.
Song of the Whale also played a key role in the first ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative campaign (2018–2023), which combined aerial surveys, ship-based observations, and acoustic monitoring. That phase provided the first harmonised, basin-scale estimates of the distribution and abundance of major cetacean populations in the Mediterranean.
The results of the first ASI edition were fundamental in guiding conservation strategies and international decision-making processes, and also contributed to the designation of a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), with the aim of strengthening the protection of marine ecosystems in the region.