Assessing fishery interaction on cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastline between 1986 and 2023.

ABSTRACT: Monitoring stranded cetaceans represents a strategic method to assess their health, conservation status, and ecological role in the marine ecosystem. Efficient stranding networks and standardized protocols are essential to monitor this phenomenon and investigate its causes. This study assesses the evidence of fishery interaction on stranded cetacean carcasses found along the Italian coastline from 1986 to 2023. Evidence assessment and post-mortem investigation methods evolved over three macro-periods, from non-standardized reporting (1986-2014) to an integrated national stranding network (2015-2019), and finally to the creation of a new standardized, evidence-based diagnostic framework under the EU-funded LIFE DELFI project (LIFE18 NAT/IT/000942) (2020-2023). A total of 5355 cases were sel

SUBMITTER: Pietroluongo G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12443319 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature