Tim Awbery

• Master of Science
• Research Associate at Scottish Association For Marine Science

Marine traffic has been identified as a serious threat to Mediterranean cetaceans with few mitigation strategies in place. With only limited research effort within the Eastern Basin, neither baseline species knowledge nor the magnitude of threats have been comprehensively assessed. Delineating the extent of overlap between marine traffic and cetace...

The spatial–temporal distribution of cetacean species often overlaps with fishing practices in the Mediterranean, having direct and indirect consequences. This is the first long‐term study focusing on the effects of fisheries on the behavior of T. truncatus in Montenegro. Focal group scan sampling was used during surveys between September 2016 and...

Fisheries constitute a major threat to marine mammals globally. To evaluate the impact of small-scale fisheries (SSF) on regional under-studied marine mammal populations, we tested a novel and cost-effective approach at three data-limited locations of the central and eastern Mediterranean Sea. Using off-the-shelf GPS loggers to track SSF activities...

Lack of baseline knowledge is often the principal conservation barrier, especially if the species of concern shows steady decline. The primary goal of the current project is to fill the knowledge gaps in understudied cetacean populations through dedicated visual and acoustic surveys in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea of Turkey. The surveys were condu...

We investigated the short-term effects of non-targeted tourism on the behaviour of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off the coast of Montenegro, South Adriatic, by comparing dolphin group behaviour during impact (the presence of non-targeted tourism vessels) and control (absence of all marine vessels) scenarios. Tourism vessel and dolphin b...

The common bottlenose dolphin is a cosmopolitan species that can be found worldwide in all oceans except polar and sub-polar waters. This wide distribution is associated with a certain level of morphological variation, which seems consistent with the presence of a globally distributed pelagic/offshore ecotype and several coastal/inshore ecotypes di...

Basic knowledge about populations of short‐beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea is still lacking. Classified as ‘Endangered’ in an IUCN assessment released in 2022, it is necessary to gain baseline knowledge to understand the species’ population status and develop impactful conservation measures. T...

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...

Bottlenose dolphins have a complex vocal repertoire that varies depending on behavioral context, social structure, group composition, and anthropogenic pressures. This current study describes the whistle characteristics of bottlenose dolphins for the first time in the South Adriatic Sea while assessing the potential differences between whistle char...

Marine vessel disturbance is known to affect cetacean species. Montenegro's large artisanal fishing fleet and booming tourist industry emphasizes the importance of analysing the relationship between marine traffic and bottlenose dolphins in its waters. Data was collected from the shore, surveying at predetermined locations between 2016 and 2021. Do...

Almost every cetacean species shows a worrying population decline in the entire Mediterranean Sea, which has resulted in their classification as either endangered, or vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Currently, not only the coastal species but also the pelagic species of cetaceans show patchy and scarce distributions in locations where they were on...

Common dolphins in the Mediterranean have seen declines in recent decades, with increased fragmentation and patchiness, generally attributed to a range of anthropogenic threats. Despite this, few attempts have been made to identify critical areas of dolphins. One such area with heavy overlap of human threats and cetaceans is the Istanbul Strait. Th...

The Mediterranean subpopulation of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) is classed as vulnerable with a decreasing population trend. Yet, research effort in the Mediterranean varies with relatively little being known of the Southern Adriatic Sea's bottlenose dolphins, which face increasing numbers of anthropogenic threats, mainly marine...

The Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) suffers from the lack of research in the Southern Adriatic Sea. In 2012, a decline of 50% of bottlenose dolphins population in the Mediterranean Sea was reported. In order to further our understanding of the spatial ecology of bottlenose dolphins in the southern Adriatic Sea, a four-year photo-identificat...

Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are the most commonly observed mysticetes within the Mediterranean Sea. Their IUCN red list status remains vulnerable (VU) with their population in decline, mainly due to increasing anthropogenic stressors. Sightings of fin whales in the eastern Mediterranean are negligible relative to the central and western basi...

Five cetacean species are known to inhabit the Adriatic Sea. While bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are the most commonly reported species of the Adriatic, they show mainly coastal distribution from its southern to the northern boundaries. On the other hand, striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) and Cu...

The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is the most regularly sighted cetacean in the Adriatic. However, anthropogenic and environmental pressures are accelerating the decline of this species. Prior to this study, there was a lack of long-term monitoring in Montenegrin waters; much like other Southern Adriatic countries which are conside...

In understudied regions, a common reason for lack of effective conservation or management plans is due to a lack of understanding of where cetaceans are and where they overlap with anthropogenic pressures. This presentation presents a cost-effective and simple method for assessing the overlap between cetaceans and fishing activities. Despite it's c...

A lack of baseline knowledge is one of the biggest barriers in the way of effective conservation and management of endangered species. Montenegro is the only country in the Adriatic Sea apart from Bosnia and Herzegovina (coastline = 20 km) with no marine protected areas. Land- and boat-based surveys began in September 2016 to increase knowledge abo...

The Turkish Straits System (TSS) is an important waterway that serves as a trade artery for a large part of Central and Eastern Europe, holds strategic importance as a gateway for world navies and is historically considered the divide between Europe and Asia. However the system is also important as it hosts a diverse array of marine mammals and was...

Presentation on the results of research I conducted and a paper I co-authored while volunteering in the Eastern Mediterranean with Marine Mammals Research Association (DMAD). Only I presented, however the presentation was written with the help of those listed as Co-authors.

Sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus show a steady population decline, yet despite their threatened status, there remains a dearth of knowledge in the Mediterranean Sea. The current study reports the preliminary results of sperm whales' acoustic patterns within the Gulf of Taranto and the Northwestern Levantine Sea. "Regular" clicks were recorded in...

Introduction The delineation of critical habitats forms an important step in the implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs). Whilst MPAs have been shown to be an effective conservation strategy, they cover just 5% of the Adriatic, with no MPAs in Montenegro and a single MPA, Karaburun Sazani, in Albania. The Adriatic Sea has been identified a...

Scientific knowledge holds the most important warrior on the species protection. Yet, research effort is scarce in the Eastern Mediterranean while human food print increases in a pressure more than ever. Our project is the first dedicated seasonal survey effort in the area, targeting both coastal and deep-diving cetaceans with a goal to fill the kn...

The delineation of critical habitats forms an important step in the implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs). Whilst MPAs are known as one of the strongest conservation strategies, they cover only 6% of the Adriatic with a single MPA of KaraburunSazaniin the Southern Adriatic. Similarly, only 4% of Turkish waters have been designated MPAs. T...

Critical habitats form the essential base for the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) implementation. While MPAs known as the strongest conservation strategies, they cover almost 6% of the Adriatic with a single MPA of Karaburun Sazani in Southern Adriatic. The Adriatic Sea, identified as a cetacean hotspot, is under the pressure of human activities, fro...

The Adriatic Sea is home to five cetacean species, classified as at risk by the IUCN. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), are all identified as species in which the community has a...

The Adriatic Sea is home to five cetacean species, classified as at risk by the IUCN. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) and fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), are all identified as species in which the community has a...