Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) Mortality along the Italian Coast between 1624 and 2021.

ABSTRACT: The Mediterranean Sea hosts a population of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), the only species of Mysticete regularly occurring in the basin. Observed and inferred mortality suggests that the population is likely declining. Accordingly, understanding the causes of mortality and assessing the health status is pivotal to the survival of this endangered population. While such studies are inherently difficult for a highly roaming species with a pelagic distribution, mortality events provide the opportunity to investigate biological and epidemiological traits linked to these events, and evaluate the footprint of human activity, especially when long-term data series exist. We present a comprehensive spatial-temporal overview of fin whale mortality events along the Italian coast encompass

SUBMITTER: Manfrini V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9686696 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature