Hellenic Trench AIS data ...

• Main Authors: Frantzis, Alexandros, Leaper, Russell, Alexiadou, Paraskevi, Prospathopoulos, Aristides, Lekkas, Dimitrios
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: SEANOE 2018
• Subjects: Sperm whale
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17882/57040; http://www.seanoe.org/data/00459/57040/

The Mediterranean sperm whale population is listed as ‘Endangered”. The Hellenic Trench is the core habitat of the eastern Mediterranean sperm whale sub-population that numbers two to three hundred individuals. Major shipping routes running on or very close to the 1000 m depth contour along the Hellenic Trench are causing an unsustainable number of ship-strikes with sperm whales reviewed in this paper. Sperm whale sighting and density data were combined with specific information on the vessel traffic in the area (e.g., types of vessels, traffic patterns, speed and traffic density), in order to estimate the risk of a whale/ship interaction. Routing options to significantly reduce ship strike risk by a small offshore shift in shipping routes were identified. The overall collision risk for sperm whales in the study area would be reduced by around 70%, while a maximum of 11 nautical miles would be added to major routes and only around 5 nautical miles for the majority of ships. No negative impacts were ...