CeNoBS Project

Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) represents the pillar of European Union, which aim is „Good Environmental Status” (GES) in European marine waters by 2020. As is well known, the Black Sea is one of the most vulnerable regional seas and Romania and Bulgaria are the European Member States responsible for implementation of MSFD, in close collaboration with the other non-EU countries, Ukraine and Turkey.

Two-year project activities started in January 2019 to collect baseline data on the distribution/abundance of Black Sea cetacean populations, bycatch pressure, and to implement effective noise monitoring in the region.

OBJECTIVES

MSFD implementation in the Black Sea of a regional monitoring system for cetaceans (D1) and noise monitoring (D11)

Cetacean population distribution and abundance

Will be assessed through a regional aerial survey aimed at collecting visual sightings of Black Sea cetaceans.

The aerial survey will be conducted in both territorial waters and exclusive economical zones of Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Ukraine.

Line transect aerial survey will be conducted, using small planes with high wings and bubble windows.

Noise monitoring

The pilot actions for noise monitoring will allow to test methodologies applied in other marine areas and to define proposals and recommendations for D11 noise monitoring in the Black Sea.

The pilot studies will assess the underwater noise level in dedicated locations on the sea shelf of Member States.

A training workshop will be organised with participants from all the Black Sea countries. It will be aimed at strengthening capacities on D11 monitoring, addressing both anthropogenic and continuous low-frequency sound in water criteria.

Bycatch monitoring

Pilot activities on cetaceans bycatch monitoring will be implemented. Data will be collected through port questionnaires and on-board observers.

Postmortem examination of cetacean carcasses stranded ashore will be conducted as an independent estimation of bycatch rate with special focus of the IUU fisheries.

The activity is aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of developing by-catch monitoring programme in a harmonised manner in the Black Sea to fill gaps on distribution, intensity and effects of bycatch pressure on cetaceans.

CeNoBS Project

OBJECTIVES

Cetacean population distribution and abundance

Noise monitoring

Bycatch monitoring

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