CMRE researchers will deploy autonomous, deep-sea 3D acoustic recorders that will monitor the behaviour of cetaceans in the Caprera Canyon area, north-east of Sardinia.

NATO Coastal Research Vessel (CRV) LEONARDO arrived yesterday in Porto Cervo, Sardinia to support the One Ocean Foundation (OOF) conservation research project on the Caprera Canyon. The Caprera Canyon lies under an area of sea, in Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda. This vibrant underwater canyon is home to seven species of whales and dolphins, known in scientific terms as cetaceans. Building upon the 2020 partnership agreement between OOF and CMRE, this effort raises awareness of the impacts of environmental and acoustic pollution on the marine wildlife in the Caprera Canyon.

CRV LEONARDO will sail from Porto Cervo to complete the deployment of three smart sensor-based 3D recorders that will collect the underwater sounds produced by the cetaceans at high depths. Through the analysis of sounds produced by deep-diver cetaceans in the canyon, this research will provide a greater understanding of their behaviour and will be important in pinpointing elements of environmental and acoustic pollution in the area. This work supports the mission of OOF, founded by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in 2018, to protect marine environments through accelerating solutions to ocean issues.