Successful completion of the eighth consecutive expedition to study and monitor the numbers of seabirds and cetaceans in the Bulgarian territorial waters of the Black Sea.
The expedition took place in the period July 29 - August 3. After 71 hours at sea, over 300 nautical miles (540 km) sailed, 55 marine mammals and about 300 seabird sightings, our team was able to gather invaluable data on the state of the populations of these so important and indicative for the Black Sea ecosystem species.
An interesting impression was made by the low number of observations of the usually most numerous of the three species of cetaceans in our territorial waters - Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). The species was most often registered during our spring expedition - from May 29 to June 2, and this trend continued at the beginning of the summer season and was reported thanks to regular campaigns for monitoring the by-catch of cetaceans in turbot fishing nets, which our team conducts. Surprisingly, the most observations were recorded for Bottlenose dolphins - 27, whose population is usually with the lowest density.
The most numerous species of birds was the Little gull (Larus minutus) with over 70 observations. The relatively large groups of feeding birds testify to the end of the nesting season, the already started migration and the gradual withdrawal of the birds to the south. Observations of actively feeding terns, gulls and other seabirds indicate their need to accumulate important nutrients and energy for the long journey south.
Some interesting species that were observed during the expedition were the Little gull, the Mediterranean gull, the Black-headed gull, the Sandwich tern, the Common tern, the Parasitic jaeger, and a single Yelkouan shearwater.
Perhaps most of you will be interested to know that the traditions of Green Balkans in sea expeditions and the study of cetaceans began back in 2006, when a team of enthusiasts, armed with a great desire and love for nature, a small boat and a lot of patience, travels over 300 kilometers along our coast. With this they put, figuratively speaking, the first sod in the study of species that have so far in our country been mainly the subject of commercial interest.
Our team's care for the state of our environment and natural ecosystems continues. We put all our time and effort into preserving and bequeathing to future generations in good condition all that our parents have bequeathed to us.
For additional information:
Dimitar Popov - Green Balkans, Phone: 0885 108712; e-mail: dpopov@greenbalkans.org
Galina Meshkova - Green Balkans, e-mail: gmeschkova@greenbalkans.org
The expedition took place in the period July 29 - August 3. After 71 hours at sea, over 300 nautical miles (540 km) sailed, 55 marine mammals and about 300 seabird sightings, our team was able to gather invaluable data on the state of the populations of these so important and indicative for the Black Sea ecosystem species.
An interesting impression was made by the low number of observations of the usually most numerous of the three species of cetaceans in our territorial waters - Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). The species was most often registered during our spring expedition - from May 29 to June 2, and this trend continued at the beginning of the summer season and was reported thanks to regular campaigns for monitoring the by-catch of cetaceans in turbot fishing nets, which our team conducts. Surprisingly, the most observations were recorded for Bottlenose dolphins - 27, whose population is usually with the lowest density.
The most numerous species of birds was the Little gull (Larus minutus) with over 70 observations. The relatively large groups of feeding birds testify to the end of the nesting season, the already started migration and the gradual withdrawal of the birds to the south. Observations of actively feeding terns, gulls and other seabirds indicate their need to accumulate important nutrients and energy for the long journey south.
Some interesting species that were observed during the expedition were the Little gull, the Mediterranean gull, the Black-headed gull, the Sandwich tern, the Common tern, the Parasitic jaeger, and a single Yelkouan shearwater.
Perhaps most of you will be interested to know that the traditions of Green Balkans in sea expeditions and the study of cetaceans began back in 2006, when a team of enthusiasts, armed with a great desire and love for nature, a small boat and a lot of patience, travels over 300 kilometers along our coast. With this they put, figuratively speaking, the first sod in the study of species that have so far in our country been mainly the subject of commercial interest.
Our team's care for the state of our environment and natural ecosystems continues. We put all our time and effort into preserving and bequeathing to future generations in good condition all that our parents have bequeathed to us.
For additional information:
Dimitar Popov - Green Balkans, Phone: 0885 108712; e-mail: dpopov@greenbalkans.org
Galina Meshkova - Green Balkans, e-mail: gmeschkova@greenbalkans.org
