MARINE LIFE THAT IS MONITORED

From its marine sanctuary BIOS records and reports mammal numbers and activity to all Cetacean and Marine Mammal agencies both National and European that BIOS has a close working relationships with.

The Argos Saronikos and particularly Spetses hosts the birthing spots of the world’s most endangered mammals, the Monk Seal (Monachus Monachus) as well as a number of Cetaceans including the Striped dolphin, Grey dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin and Sperm whale.

BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN
Eats mainly fish and squid, but also octopus and crustaceans in resident population, most common in the Aegean as well as in the entire Mediterranean Sea. IUCN Red List Status facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

Monk Seal (Monachus Monachus)
Is the world’s most endangered mammal. Three out of twenty seven known to be in the Aegean reside in the Argos Saronikos. In early 208 one was killed by a fisherman off the coast of Hydra.

They are born with black natal fur, often with a white patch beneath. The shape of these patches can be used to identify individuals. Reproductive maturity is reached at around age four, and maximum age is over twenty years. Pregnant Mediterranean Monk Seals typically use inaccessible undersea caves while giving birth, though historical descriptions show that they used open beaches until the eighteenth century.

Please note that near the proposed site is a secret cave where two Monk seals are known to give birth every several years.

SHARKS
White-tip sharks, (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) have on very rare occasions been sighted by BIOS divers along the Aegean coast, singly and in groups of up to five individuals. Each sighting was close to the shore of Spetses at a depth of around 25 meters and often after several stormy days of strong southerly winds. They were not aggressive, showing little interest in the divers, and disappeared from the area after only a few days.