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The Mediterranean Monk Seal and Other Endangered Marine Mammals. From...
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The Mediterranean Monk Seal and Other Endangered Marine Mammals. From Past to Future: Perspectives on Ecology, Biology, Monitoring, and Conservation

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2024) | Viewed by 8569

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gema Hernandez-Milian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Oceanographic Centre, Vigo, Spanish Oceanographic Institute—CSIC, Madrid, Spain
Interests: marine mammal conservation; trophic ecology; human impacts on marine mammals
Dr. Luigi Bundone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Archipelagos - ambiente e sviluppo, Venezia, Italy
2. Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage, Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, Italy
Interests: the past and present distribution, population, habitat availability, conservation, monitoring, and photoidentification of the Mediterranean monk seal
Mercedes Muñoz-Cañas

E-Mail
Guest Editor Assistant
IUCN Center for Mediterranean Cooperation, Málaga, Spain
Interests: nature; marine environment; endangered species; environment protection; reduction of threats in the natural environment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Marine mammals are top predators in the ocean's ecological systems.

With several species having reached alarmingly low population levels over time due to human action, understanding the past and present roles of endangered species in oceanic systems is essential to aid in our comprehension and definition of these species, and in the application of adequate conservation measures.

Therefore, efforts must be made to preserve and restore our planet's natural equilibrium, which is approaching crisis level.

The application of specific measures to protect umbrella species of marine mammals can benefit the entire ecosystem. As charismatic species, they can motivate citizens and stakeholders to promote policies and environmental measures to protect the species and their ecosystems.

This Special Issue focuses on one of the most endangered and poorly understood pinniped species: the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus. We aim to provide information on its ecology, biology, past and present populations, and methodologies for its study and conservation.

In addition, this issue aims to compile information from other endangered marine mammal species, with papers highlighting problems, research, analyses, and solutions applicable to them all despite their differences.

Given the time pressure to undertake appropriate marine mammal conservation, it is necessary to merge current scientific research on these species. This Special Issue aims to amalgamate this information, and we encourage interested authors to submit research on the proposed themes.

Dr. Gema Hernandez-Milian
Dr. Luigi Bundone
Guest Editors

Mercedes Muñoz-Cañas
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • endangered species
  • marine ecosystems
  • marine mammals
  • monk seal
  • monitoring
  • conservation
  • biology
  • ecology
  • population dynamics

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 9387 KiB  
Communication
First Insights into the Home Range of an Adult Male Mediterranean Monk Seal Monachus monachus in the Ionian Sea, Greece, and Considerations About the Future Management of the Area
by Aliki Panou, Spyros Tsoukalas, Anastasios Anestis and Luigi Bundone
Animals 2025, 15(5), 617; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15050617 - 20 Feb 2025
Viewed by 400
Abstract
From August 2021 to December 2023, one adult male Mediterranean monk seal was repeatedly registered, through a systematic monitoring camera system, frequenting a marine cave in southern Kefalonia Island, central Ionian Sea, Greece. The presence of the same adult seal in a series [...] Read more.
From August 2021 to December 2023, one adult male Mediterranean monk seal was repeatedly registered, through a systematic monitoring camera system, frequenting a marine cave in southern Kefalonia Island, central Ionian Sea, Greece. The presence of the same adult seal in a series of caves and overhangs in a bay in northwestern Zakynthos, southern Ionian Sea, in September 2023 and May 2024 was verified through opportunistic surveys and citizen science. The two locations are ca. 15 km apart and each is located in a different marine NATURA 2000 site. Appropriate conservation measures need to take into consideration the fact that seals do move between Kefalonia and Zakynthos (and possibly also other Ionian islands) and that the entire area has to be considered as a single “conservation unit” rather than elaborating protection measures on a small scale around a couple of resting and pupping caves alone. A full network of marine caves under strict protection surrounded by a buffer zone, taking into account at least the species’ home range, is needed in order to substantially cover the monk seal’s critical terrestrial habitats throughout the Ionian Sea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Mediterranean Monk Seal and Other Endangered Marine Mammals. From Past to Future: Perspectives on Ecology, Biology, Monitoring, and Conservation)
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13 pages, 10274 KiB  
Communication
Preliminary Ultrasonographic Study of Healthy California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) Pregnancy and Fetal Development
by Letizia Fiorucci, Francesco Grande, Roberto Macrelli and Pietro Saviano
Animals 2024, 14(9), 1384; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091384 - 5 May 2024
Viewed by 1620
Abstract
Reproductive success is an important aspect of marine mammals’ population health, as it is an indicator of the trajectory for the population into the future. The aim of this study is to provide additional relevant data on fetus–maternal ultrasonographic monitoring in sea lion [...] Read more.
Reproductive success is an important aspect of marine mammals’ population health, as it is an indicator of the trajectory for the population into the future. The aim of this study is to provide additional relevant data on fetus–maternal ultrasonographic monitoring in sea lion species, in order to evaluate possible fetal distress or abnormalities. From 2018 to 2023, serial ultrasonographic scans of two healthy California sea lion females (16 ± 4 years old), kept under human care, were performed over the course of two pregnancies for each female. Animals were monitored from the ovulation to the delivery. Ultrasonography was performed weekly, and, during the last month, daily images were recorded using Logiq Versana Active, General Electric, with a 2–5 MHz curvilinear transducer, and Logiq V2, General Electric, with a 2–5 MHz curvilinear transducer. Right and left lateral recumbencies have been used during the examination. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study describing in detail the sea lion organogenesis and their correlation with the stage of pregnancy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Mediterranean Monk Seal and Other Endangered Marine Mammals. From Past to Future: Perspectives on Ecology, Biology, Monitoring, and Conservation)
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21 pages, 13212 KiB  
Article
Ten Years of Mediterranean Monk Seal Stranding Records in Greece under the Microscope: What Do the Data Suggest?
by Maria Solanou, Aliki Panou, Irida Maina, Stefanos Kavadas and Marianna Giannoulaki
Animals 2024, 14(9), 1309; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14091309 - 26 Apr 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1440
Abstract
This paper presents the results of an analysis of stranding events of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus over a decade. The analysis involved categorization according to the cause of stranding and seasonality, the identification of hotspot stranding areas and an assessment of [...] Read more.
This paper presents the results of an analysis of stranding events of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus over a decade. The analysis involved categorization according to the cause of stranding and seasonality, the identification of hotspot stranding areas and an assessment of possible correlations between stranding events and environmental/climatic patterns using time series analysis. Moreover, Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) were applied to explore the effects of the size of small-scale fishing grounds, the number of species sightings, and the occurrence of reproduction sites on “human-related” strandings. Finally, special focus was put on the central part of the eastern Ionian Sea for the assessment of stranding hotspot areas by means of the Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach, based on different kinds of spatial information such as anthropogenic pressures and the location of breeding sites and feeding grounds. Time series analysis results revealed that oscillation indices, during the first half of the year, and sea surface temperature (SST) in the Mediterranean from October to December were positively correlated with monk seal stranding events. GAMs underlined that areas combining extended small-scale fishery grounds and a higher number of sightings were more likely to cause more strandings. Regarding spatial analyses, the central Aegean Sea was highlighted as a hotspot for “human-related strandings”, while the MCDA approach emphasized that the southern coasts of Cephalonia and the gulf between Lefkada and mainland Greece were susceptible to subadult strandings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Mediterranean Monk Seal and Other Endangered Marine Mammals. From Past to Future: Perspectives on Ecology, Biology, Monitoring, and Conservation)
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16 pages, 2270 KiB  
Article
Understanding the Interactions between Small-Scale Fisheries and the Mediterranean Monk Seal Using Fishermen’s Ecological Knowledge
by Marios Papageorgiou, Anastasis Karonias, Athena Eftychiou and Louis Hadjioannou
Animals 2023, 13(13), 2164; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13132164 - 30 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2081
Abstract
Interactions between fisheries and marine mammals have been well documented in almost all existing fishing gears around the world, often associated with detrimental consequences. Interactions of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) with small-scale fisheries have been previously documented in [...] Read more.
Interactions between fisheries and marine mammals have been well documented in almost all existing fishing gears around the world, often associated with detrimental consequences. Interactions of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) with small-scale fisheries have been previously documented in the Mediterranean; this is a problem that seems to be growing in recent years. The present study aims to understand for the first time the nature and extent of interactions between the Mediterranean monk seal and small-scale fisheries in the Republic of Cyprus. The data were collected by conducting in-person semi-structured interviews, between November and December 2020, with 90 fishermen operating from nine different ports, extending throughout the entire coastline of the Republic of Cyprus. The results revealed minimal interactions between the Mediterranean monk seals and small-scale fisheries. The findings indicate that interactions are more likely to occur at depths of less than 10 m, closer to the coast, with the use of trammel nets and gillnets, and during the spring and summer months. The encounter, depredation and incidental capture rates were calculated at 0.01 (0.95%), 0.005 (0.51%) and 0.0004 (0.04%) per fisher, respectively. Spatiotemporal closed areas are proposed as a potential solution to mitigate these interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Mediterranean Monk Seal and Other Endangered Marine Mammals. From Past to Future: Perspectives on Ecology, Biology, Monitoring, and Conservation)
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Review

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19 pages, 2045 KiB  
Review
Mediterranean Marine Mammals: Possible Future Trends and Threats Due to Mercury Contamination and Interaction with Other Environmental Stressors
by Roberto Bargagli and Emilia Rota
Animals 2024, 14(16), 2386; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162386 - 17 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1956
Abstract
Despite decreasing anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions in Europe and the banning and restriction of many persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention, Mediterranean marine mammals still have one of the highest body burdens of persistent pollutants in the world. Moreover, the Mediterranean [...] Read more.
Despite decreasing anthropogenic mercury (Hg) emissions in Europe and the banning and restriction of many persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention, Mediterranean marine mammals still have one of the highest body burdens of persistent pollutants in the world. Moreover, the Mediterranean basin is one of the most sensitive to climate change, with likely changes in the biogeochemical cycle and bioavailability of Hg, primary productivity, and the length and composition of pelagic food webs. The availability of food resources for marine mammals is also affected by widespread overfishing and the increasing number of alien species colonizing the basin. After reporting the most recent findings on the biogeochemical cycle of Hg in the Mediterranean Sea and the physico-chemical and bio-ecological factors determining its exceptional bioaccumulation in odontocetes, this review discusses possible future changes in the bioavailability of the metal. Recent ocean–atmosphere–land models predict that in mid-latitude seas, water warming (which in the Mediterranean is 20% faster than the global average) is likely to decrease the solubility of Hg and favor the escape of the metal to the atmosphere. However, the basin has been affected for thousands of years by natural and anthropogenic inputs of metals and climate change with sea level rise (3.6 ± 0.3 mm year−1 in the last two decades), and the frequency of extreme weather events will likely remobilize a large amount of legacy Hg from soils, riverine, and coastal sediments. Moreover, possible changes in pelagic food webs and food availability could determine dietary shifts and lower growth rates in Mediterranean cetaceans, increasing their Hg body burden. Although, in adulthood, many marine mammals have evolved the ability to detoxify monomethylmercury (MMHg) and store the metal in the liver and other organs as insoluble HgSe crystals, in Mediterranean populations more exposed to the metal, this process can deplete the biological pool of Se, increasing their susceptibility to infectious diseases and autoimmune disorders. Mediterranean mammals are also among the most exposed in the world to legacy POPs, micro- and nanoplastics, and contaminants of emerging interest. Concomitant exposure to these synthetic chemicals may pose a much more serious threat than the Se depletion. Unfortunately, as shown by the literature data summarized in this review, the most exposed populations are those living in the NW basin, the main feeding and reproductive area for most Mediterranean cetaceans, declared a sanctuary for their protection since 2002. Thus, while emphasizing the adoption of all available approaches to mitigate anthropogenic pressure with fishing and maritime traffic, it is recommended to direct future research efforts towards the assessment of possible biological effects, at the individual and population levels, of chronic and simultaneous exposure to Hg, legacy POPs, contaminants of emerging interest, and microplastics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Mediterranean Monk Seal and Other Endangered Marine Mammals. From Past to Future: Perspectives on Ecology, Biology, Monitoring, and Conservation)
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