Barbara Mussi

Certificate of top downloaded article in AquCons: Marine&Freshwater Ecosystems

We investigated the presence and diversity of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea, analysing the data collected by 32 different research units, over a period of 15 years (2004–2018), and shared on the common web-GIS platform named Intercet. We used the encounter rate, the species prevalence, and the Shannon diversity index as parameters for data ana...

Species conservation requires a clear understanding of habitat use. The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a coastal species subjected to various anthropogenic threats. In this research, we use a combination of behavioral observations and GIS analysis to identify core hotspots for bottlenose dolphins around the Islands of Ischia and Procida...

This study examines the interactions between the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the fishing activities in the waters of Ischia and Procida Islands (Gulf of Naples, Italy) over a period of fifteen years (2004-2018). The study area lies partially within the limits of the Marine Protected Area “Regno di Nettuno”. Data were collected in th...

This study presents data on a local population of bottlenose dolphins monitored in the coastal waters of Rome (central Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) over a period of seven years (2015-2021). We studied dolphin presence and distribution and performed photo-identification analysis. According to our data, the waters of Rome represent a calving and an importa...

The Conservation and Research of the endangered Mediterranean Common dolphin, Delphinus delphis is presented in the special issue published by Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems - Vol 31 Supplement 1. Guest Editors : DS Pace, B Mussi, JG Vella & A Vella. Thanks are due to the three NGOs (BICREF, OCEANOMARE DELPHIS, OCEAN CARE) t...

Preservation of endangered species is now recognized as a relevant component of regional and global conservation actions achieved through the maintenance of the remaining populations in a favourable conservation status. The Mediterranean common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is listed as an Endangered subpopulation in the International Union for Conse...

This paper summarizes facts and outcomes of the Mediterranean short‐beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) workshop.

1. The short‐beaked common dolphin is a highly vocal species, with a wide distribution in all oceans, including the Mediterranean and the Black Seas. In the Mediterranean Sea, the short‐beaked common dolphin inhabits both pelagic and neritic waters. 2. Osteological collections and the literature show that short‐beaked common dolphins were widesprea...

This study presents data on a local population of short‐beaked common dolphin monitored in the waters off Ischia Island (Gulf of Naples, Italy) over a 16‐year period (2000‐2015). We examine dolphin occurrence and distribution and perform photoidentification analysis. The data presented support the hypothesis that the waters around Ischia Island rep...

When implementing conservation strategies involving passive acoustic monitoring, an accurate description of signal properties is crucial, especially when studying threatened and elusive vocalizing species. Misrepresentation of detected sounds can result in information loss or misclassification of species, thus compromising the management process. D...

The identification of significant habitats for highly mobile marine vertebrates is essential for their conservation. Evidence is often difficult to obtain for deep‐diving species such as sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), where standard visual survey methods are not sufficient to detect the species. Sperm whales rely on sound for most of their...

Nel 2016 grazie alla collaborazione tra le associazioni Ardea ed Oceanomare Delphis, durante la campagna di ricerca Ischia Dolphin Project è stato effettuato uno studio preliminare sugli uccelli pelagici dell’Area Marina Protetta “Regno di Nettuno”. I rilievi sono stati effettuati dal 1 maggio al 31 ottobre a bordo del veliero laboratorio Jean Gab,...

SOMMARIO Lo studio dell'impatto dei survey sismici in mare sui mammiferi marini è ancora frammentario e incompleto, mancando un'osservazione degli effetti a lungo termine sulle popolazioni. Nel 2015 l'Italia ha introdotto l'obbligo di condurre survey di studio acustico e visivo sui mammiferi marini presenti nell'area di prospezione almeno per 60 gi...

CONISMA, CNR and CIRCE, involved Italian research units (RUs) working on cetaceans to join a National Network answering the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requirements by sharing monitoring data. Data obtained during the 2016 monitoring campaigns by 13 RUs are presented here.

Concern is growing that marine fauna can be affected by noise such as naval sonar, pile driving or geophysical surveys, among others. Literature reports a variety of animal reactions to human noise (from apparently null or negligible to strong). However, conclusive results on its effects on marine mammals at individual and population level are stil...

Oceanomare Delphis Onlus (Italy), BICREF (Malta) and OceanCare (Switzerland), jointly organized the 1st International Workshop on short‐beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis, Linneaus 1758), which took place in Ischia, between the 13th and the 15th of April, in order to assess the status of the Mediterranean population, understand the major thre...

Risso’s dolphins are known for the persistency of their natural markings, possibly due to the loss of pigment during the healing process of skin wounds. Nonetheless, the actual longevity and reliability of each mark type has never been assessed. In this paper, we used photographs to investigate the etiology of skin marks in the species, analyze the...

An unusual observation of a hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) anchored to a living bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was documented in an encounter with a group of about 80 dolphins during an ongoing long-term research program on cetaceans in the central Mediterranean Sea, Italy. The body of the hagfish was observed extruding from the blowhole of th...

This review provides an overview of the Mediterranean diversity and conservation status of cetaceans, and the value associated with their conservation and non-consumptive use. The Mediterranean Sea is one of the world's diversity hotspots; its biodiversity is increasingly under threat in the whole region and key species as cetaceans are under chall...

Pooled data on the endangered short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis collected in the central Mediterranean Sea over 2000-2014 period by different research groups in Italy were analysed. A total of 266 encounters with 4675 common dolphins was attained. The species was mainly recorded in the central and southern Tyrrhenian Sea (around Ischia...

The sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ) is one of the eight species of cetaceans routinely encountered in the Mediterranean Sea; however, information on the social organization of sperm whales living in the basin remains scarce. The social behaviour of sperm whales within female units, and groups of males are reported, made over an 11‐year perio...

Boat surveys aimed at studying sperm whales in the Tyrrhenian Sea were conducted between 2002 and 2011. During 768 daily surveys, a total effort of 32 602 km was achieved within an area of 8800 km ² resulting in 92 encounters with 229 sperm whale individuals. Average encounter rates of sperm whales was 0.5 groups per 100 km ² , with a higher concen...

1. The Mediterranean sperm whale sub-population is considered ‘Endangered’ by both ACCOBAMS and the IUCN. Conservation policies require protected species populations to be monitored, but the distribution and movements of sperm whales across the Mediterranean Sea are still poorly understood. 2. To provide insight into sperm whale movements, the phot...

The sperm whale is one of only two great whales regularly encountered in the Mediterranean Sea. It was once considered to be quite abundant in some parts of the Mediterranean, but large herds are not reported nowadays and several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that the population is depleted. While no estimate of population size exists fo...

Geospatial analysis and GIS are common techniques used in ecological studies to design predictive models. Here we develop a specific model to the study of cetacean species applying various open source tools (Grass and Q-GIS, Geo Server, R, Postgresql with Postgis) to handle behavioural, acoustical, photo-identification, and survey data collected ov...

The purpose of this article is to describe the cybernetic model of Synthetic Intelligence conceived with a multicultural approach in ENEA Frascati laboratories. Using functional processes of the model, machines were made, or more phases to conventional machines, that emulate a part of biological intelligence. In this paper we describe some of these...

Driftnet fishing is notorious for being the major source of fatal entanglement of cetaceans and for its devastating impact on some pelagic species of the Mediterranean fauna. Of all the large cetaceans, the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is most affected by this fishing technique. On 9 August 2004, a group of five sperm whales, two adult fema...

Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) nursery groups are poorly know in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2002, 8 sightings of sperm whale social groups were listed in the deep waters of the canyon of Cuma (Island of Ischia, Italy). Animals were detected by the means of towed hydrophones and 820 minutes of recordings were collected. Maximum group size wa...

The submarine canyon of Cuma is an important habitat very close to the northern part of Ischia island were a particular pelagic assemblage can be found. The constant presence of whales and dolphins, pelagic fishes and marine birds is related to the geological and ecological characteristics of the area. Our research try to define the role played by...

An example of the impact of pleasure boating on cetaceans - in this case Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) - is presented to highlight the disruptive potential of unregulated human-dolphin interactions in the Mediterranean Sea. The observation took place near the Cuma submarine canyon off the island of Ischia, Italy. In this area, a school of abou...

1. The recent decline in the Mediterranean population of short‐beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis has been the subject of scientific controversy and political indifference. Research on these animals has been very limited and there has been no large‐scale, systematic effort to assess and monitor their abundance and distribution. The consequent...

Distribution of cetaceans has been investigated in the north-western coast of the island of Ischia, corresponding to the uppermost area of the submarine canyon of Cuma. This zone is an important habitat where a particular pelagic assemblage can be found. The constant presence of whales and dolphins, pelagic fishes and marine birds is related to the...

The short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) -once one of the commonest cetacean species in the Mediterranean Sea -has faced a dramatic decrease in the last few decades. Between July-September 1997-2001, relatively large groups (mean group size = 65.48 SD=23.94, N=41, range 35-100) were consistently encountered off the island of Ischia, Ital...

The observation of this research were carried out during the summer of 1997 and 1998. The surveys were realised on board of the long sail boat "Barbarian". The routes were chosen to optimise the sights and were determined daily on the basis of previous sightings. The respiratory cycles of 15 solitary whales was recorded during a total of 19 hours a...