Tracked passenger and cargo vessels logged over 280,000 hours traveling at 15 knots or above through a designated particularly sensitive sea area in 2025. Captains from major ferry operators confirmed that strict passenger schedules and a lack of company policies actively discourage slowing down. Collisions with large vessels remain a leading cause of cetacean mortality in the region, with speeds below 10 knots required to significantly reduce lethal strikes. Scientists now stress that only mandatory, legally binding regulations can curb lethal ship strikes in these critical habitats.
Key points
Voluntary speed recommendations from the International Maritime Organization have failed…: Voluntary speed recommendations from the International Maritime Organization have failed to slow down major Mediterranean ferry operators.
Vessel strikes remain a leading human-induced cause of death for endangered fin and sperm…: Vessel strikes remain a leading human-induced cause of death for endangered fin and sperm whales in the region.
Marine scientists are actively calling for mandatory and legally binding speed limits to…: Marine scientists are actively calling for mandatory and legally binding speed limits to replace voluntary conservation measures.
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Marine biologist Alice Barbarioli waits with her camera trained on the horizon. A few minutes earlier, the hydrophone beneath the Pelagos research vessel detected codas – the sequence of clicks sperm whales use to communicate.
The sperm whale reveals its head and dorsal fin as those onboard the vessel in the Pelagos sanctuary, a conservation area established to protect marine mammals in the north-western Mediterranean, rush to take photos and note the rhythm of its breathing. After a few minutes, the animal arches its back, and begins to head back into the depths of the sea. They wait to catch a glimpse of its tail.
Barbarioli, the lead researcher of the citizen-science expedition, organised by the Tethys Research Institute, immediately notices an injury on its left fluke: “Given how precise the mark is, it’s probably the result of a [vessel] collision,” she says.
Collisions have long been recognised as a leading human-induced cause of death for the Mediterranean’s endangered sperm and fin whales. Now, a Guardian investigation using data from the maritime intelligence firm Veson Nautical, has found that large…
British authorities are implementing a comprehensive ban across England, Wales, and Scotland beginning in April 2029 to halt toxic shotgun contamination. Conservationists have long sounded the alarm over millions of spent pellets polluting ecosystems and causing widespread bird fatalities. The phaseout will compel countryside sports and game markets to permanently adopt non-toxic alternatives to safeguard vulnerable wildlife species.
Local officials are grappling with safety warnings from the RNLI regarding a proposed coastal erosion scheme involving 17 rock headlands. Crucially, securing approval is under tight deadlines, as upcoming funding rule changes could impose a £13m bill on the local authority if the current proposal falls through. Failure to advance the project threatens both the protection of the shoreline and council budgets.
Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu is likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast tonight. In response to the approaching storm, the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority has advised residents to remain alert.