Abstract
Within the framework of the EU Life+ project named LIFE09 NAT/IT/000190 ARION, a permanent automated real-time passive acoustic monitoring system for the improvement of the conservation status of the transient and resident population of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) has been implemented and installed in the Portofino Marine Protected Area (MPA), Ligurian Sea. The system is able to detect the simultaneous presence of dolphins and boats in the area and to give their position in real time. This information is used to prevent collisions by diffusing warning messages to all the categories involved (tourists, professional fishermen and so on). The system consists of two gps-synchronized acoustic units, based on a particular type of marine buoy (elastic beacon), deployed about 1 km off the Portofino headland. Each one is equipped with a four-hydrophone array and an onboard acquisition system which can record the typical social communication whistles emitted by the dolphins and the sound emitted by boat engines. Signals are pre-filtered, digitized and then broadcast to the ground station via wi-fi. The raw data are elaborated to get the direction of the acoustic target to each unit, and hence the position of dolphins and boats in real time by triangulation.
Highlights
Amongst Mediterranean cetaceans, bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is highly exposed to threats due to human activities and resource exploitation
In the frame of the European program LIFE we implemented and installed a permanent automated real-time passive acoustic monitoring system for the improvement of the conservation status of the transient and resident population of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Portofino Marine Protected Area (MPA), Ligurian Sea. This is the first example in the Mediterranean Sea of a permanent acoustic station dedicated to the continuous monitoring of the presence of bottlenose dolphins
Hydrophone tracks are transmitted by a wi-fi dedicated connection to the ground station where they are scanned in search of dolphin whistles and stored
Summary
Amongst Mediterranean cetaceans, bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is highly exposed to threats due to human activities and resource exploitation. Melchiorre) and Gianni Viano (GV) are employed by the commercial IT company named Softeco Sismat S.r.l. Softeco Sismat S.r.l. is one of the four beneficiaries of the project: 1. Direzione Marittima di Genova (associated beneficiary) 3. Portofino Marine Protected Area (associated beneficiary) 4. (associated beneficiary) The funder provided support in the form of salaries for authors C. Melchiorre and GV, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the “author contributions” section
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
