Europe Marine Transborder Transect

This report serves as a handbook detailing the standardized protocols for monitoring marine macro-fauna, including cetaceans and other large vertebrates, from large vessels like ferries and cargo ships. Developed by the IMPEL MTT project (2022-2024), it aims to harmonize data stewardship practices across various European research organizations utilizing these platforms in different EU sea regions. The handbook covers key aspects such as data collection methodologies, observation parameters, sampling design, data validation, storage, and analysis to meet the requirements of European environmental legislation. Ultimately, this standardized approach facilitates comparable data collection and enhances the understanding and conservation of marine biodiversity.

This document describes how data on potential threats that need to be addressed according to the EU legislative framework (i.e., maritime traffic, pollution by marine litter) are collected and analysed in order to identify priority conservation areas and seasons, and support effective mitigation actions towards marine species.

In this report, the main existing data repositories related to biodiversity/marine species are described, providing information on their purposes, functioning and outputs. The specific requirements of each repository, standards used, and information on how it is possible to contribute to them are also reported in detail.

This document is intended to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art monitoring of large marine vertebrates from fixed line platforms, with a special focus on commercial ferries and cargoes, considering the relative framework of international and regional agreements and conventions, and the main monitoring programs developed within research institutions, NGOs, and national initiatives

Project's References