Distribution of monk seals based on an information network by MOm

Contributionsto the Zoogeographyand Ecologyof the EasternMediterraneanRegion Vol.1(1999),pp.399-404

THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MONK SEAL IN GREECE BASED ON AN INFORMATION NETWORK S. ADAMANTOPOULOU, E. ANDROUKAKI & S. KOTOMATAS Abstract

This study is an attempt to determine

monachus) Network,

the distribution

of the Mediterranean

in Greece. This work is part of a larger project established which consists of a network

continuous

direct

and indirect

of more than 700 contacts in coastal Greece and wit~ which there is

communication.

The data used were informati.on

received, relative to monk seal sightings from throughout

collected

in the field

the monk seal still remains widely

distributed

and others. During the and 79 reports of dead

throughout

Greece. In addition,

the sightings of newborn pups in a number of coastal areas suggest that several breeding (sub )populations exist within the species distribution. dence

of breeding

in specific

Furthermore,

areas (Samos

suggest that there may be important

the high frequency of seal sightings in conjunction

- Fourni,

Kythira,

(sub)populations

the country. The data include the date and location

of observation, as well as, other details on the description of the animal, its behavior, study period (1991- I 995), we collected in total, 540 reports of alive seal observations seals. The results indicatf!1hat

monk seal (Monachus

in 1990, the Rescue and Information

Kassos

- Karpathos,

Pelion

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INTRODUCTION The Mediterranean Monk seal, Monachus monachus, is a highly endangered species. The main surviving groups are still found in Greece and Mauritania. Its world population is estimated to' be 400-500 individuals, of which 200-250 are estimated to live in Greece (REUNDERS et at. 1993), with best known populations in the National Marine Park of Alonnissos - Northern Sporades (HSSPMS 1995) and the Ionian islands (PANDO et at. 1993). The species is scattered throughout the 15.000km coastline of Greece, and it

399

frequents mainly rocky, deserted and inaccessible coasts. The rarity of the speciesand .the inaccessibility of its habitat make the study of its distribution and ecology difficult, which is the reason for the limited information that exists for many islands and sections of coastline. Over the last 20 years, several studies have been conducted in an effort to determine the distribution and the status of the speciesin Greece. A limited number where direct surveys of coasts (MARCHESSAUX & DuGUY 1977, SERGEANT et ai. 1978, VERRIOPOULO 1984), while several cases involved indirect methodologies through interviews or questionnaires distributed to local authorities (VAMVAKASet ai. 1978, VERRIOPOULOS & KIORTSIS1984, VLACHOUTSIKOU & LAZARIDIS1990).. A common conclusion in all the above studies is that the Mediterranean monk seal is widely distributed throughout the country. However, the difficulty in covering within one study the whole country, variability in methodologies used, and the differences in relative importance attributed in different areasby researchers,do not allow the consistent evaluation of the status of the species within the country through time. This study.is an attempt to determine the distribution of the Mediterranean monk seal in Greece using collected or received information related to monk seal sightings from throughout Greece. It is part of a larger project established in 1991, the Rescue and Information Network, which consists of a network of more than 700 contacts in coastal Greece. The overall aim of the network is the establishment of a consistent long-term working relationship with coastal authorities and inhabitants, in order to involve them in the conservation efforts and to monitor the status of the species. '!

MATERIAL AND METHODS The data used in this study were collected through the Information and Rescue Network during the period 1991-1995. The operation of the network is based on the communication with its members (HSSPMS 1994, 1996), which is: a) indirect: mail with all relevant authorities: port police, fishery and veterinary services, fishing cooperatives, coastal municipalities, local inhabitants b) direct: visiting areas, known to be important for the species, in order to sensitize the local inhabitants and collect information about the past and present status of the monk seal (229 different coastal locations were visited during the project). It is important to mention that the Network is covering in space all the coastal and island Greece, except the N. Sporades area and the Ionian islands were researchprojects, monitoring the local monk seal populations, have been established for a number of years (PANOUet ai. 1993, HSSPMS 1995) Data relative to each monk seal sighting are received through mail and phone communication or are collected during the visits to the areas through interviews with locals and fishermen. The information collected included, the time and location of observation, description of the animal and its behavior, as well as, any other information related to the 400

incident. In addition infonnation relative to the existence and the location of seal shelters within an area were collected during the interviews. From the data collected, we considered a report ora sighting as reliable, and it was included in this study, when the observer provided the exact date of the sighting, the exact site of the observation and details about the description of the animal and its behavior. All animals observed were classified in tenns of age-class in adults/juveniles and in pups, based on the description of their size and of their external morphology. In certain cases the observers in confinnation of the incidents provided photographs of the animals.

RESULTS During the study period (1991-1995), 619 reports of seal sightings, which were considered as reliable, were collected. Of these, 540 referred to alive seal observations, while 79 were related to dead animals (see Androukaki et ai. in this issue). The majority of reported sightings (487 cases) were related to adult animals/juveniles, and 67 to pups, while in 65 casesthe age-class of the animals was not identified. Even though, the information was collected after 1991, 54 casesreferred to sightings that took place in previous years (1983-1990). The flow of infonnation during the project was contirnIously increasing with the highest number of reports (267 cases) collected during 1995. Professional fishermen were the main source of infonnation, since they provided 226 reports, while port-police officers, local inhabitants, tourists, amateur fishermen, divers, and others also reported sightings. The distribution of the reports through the years is shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Sightingsreportedduring the studyperiod

ALIVE DEAD

Before 1991 34 20

1991 25 5

1992 59 17

1993 75 12

1994 92 13

1995 255 12

The distribution of the seal sightings in Greece.is shown in Fig.1. Sightings have been reported from 73 different locations within the country. Apart from the areasknown for the existence of considerable monk seal population (N. Sporades and Ionian Sea), a considerable number of sightings (>20) have been recorded in 6 more areas (Samos, Fourni, Karpathos, Evia, 'Kythira and Nysiros). Overall, the island of Samos was the area with the highest number (91 cases) of reported monk seal sightings. The 67 sightings, which were related to monk seal pups, originate from 25 different coastal locations within the country. The distribution of thesereports is shown in Fig.2. 401

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402

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In 11 of these areas, pups have been observed only once during the study period. In 14 different areas (Samos, Kythira, Evia, Milos, Kassos, coast of Pilion, Skiathos, Skopelos, Agios Efstratios, Lesvos, Psara, Ikaria, Fourni, and Rhodes), either pups have been reported in different years, or multiple pups have been observed within a year. It should also be mentioned that births of monk seal pups are being recorded consistently every year from the areas of Northern Sporades and the Ionian islands (PANOUet aI. 1993, HSSPMS 1995)

DISCUSSION Considering the overall distribution of the seal sightings reported (Fig.1), it is evident that the Mediterranean monk seal still remains widely distributed throughout Greece. This is in general agreement with previous studies, which were conducted during the 1970's and 1980's (MARcHEssAux & DuGUY 1977, SERGEAN1'et aI. 1978, VAMVAKAS et aI. 1978, VERRIOPOULOS1984, VERRIOPOULOS& KIORTSIS 1984, VLACHOUTSIKOU & LAZARIDIS 1990). ThllS, it appears that during the last two decades no major changes in the distribution of the species have occurred. Even when we consider our results on a more regional scale, such as data from specific islands or sections of coastline, the frequency of sightings reported is in close agreement wi!h previouยง work, especially with the most recent (COUNCIL OF EUROPE 1991, VLACHOUTSIKOU& LAZARIDIS 1990). However, there are a few differences between our results and the relative importance other researchers attributed to specific areas. In particular, MARCHESSAUX& DUGUY (1977) and VAMVAKAS et at. (1978) considered that the Korinthiakos Gulf area hosted a considerable monk seal population, while in our work only one dead monk seal individual was reported. The same holds for the Gulf of Messinia, where, even though the area was visited during this project, no evidence of seal presence was reported. This is different to findings by V AMVAKASet aI. (1978), which considered the area as one of the most important monk seal habitats. In addition, the sightings of newborn pups collected from various areas (Fig.2), which are indeed closely matched with the areas with high frequency of seal sightings, suggest that several breeding populations exist within the species distribution. The high frequency of seal sightings in specific areas, in conjunction with the evidence of consistent breeding within them, suggest that apart from the areas of N. Sporades (HSSPMS, 1995) and of the Ionian islands (VLACHOUTSIKOU& LAZARIDIS 1990, PANDOet at. 1993), there may be important breeding monk seal populations in the areas of Samos - Fourni, Kythira, Kassos - Karpathos, Pel ion - North Evia and Milos. The strategy for the effective conservation of the Mediterranean take the above findings under consideration.

monk seal in Greece. it is necessary to

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank all the peot>l.e and authoritiesfrom coastalGreecethat participatedand contributed to the Network, and the Greek Ministries of Agriculture, Environmentand MerchantileMarine for 403

their support. This project was partially funded by the European CommissiQn, D.G. XI, and Contract No. 43010(92) 7829 and B4-3040/95/009/AO/D2.

REFERENCES COUNCIL OF EUROPE 1992. Conservation of the Mediterranean monk seal

Technical and Scientific

aspects. Environmental Encounters No.13, Council of Europe Press. HSSPMS (Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal) 1994. Continuation of the Establishment of a Rescue Networkfor orphan, wounded and sick seals and gathering of seal observation from the whole of Greece - function of the seaL treatment and rehabilitation center in Alonnissos. Final report for the European Commission Project 4-3010(92)7829, April 1992-March 1994. HSSPMS 1995. Continuation of the Monitoring of the Monk Seals in the N4itional Marine Park of Northern Sporades. Final Report for the European Commission Project 4-3010(92)7829. HSSPMS 1996. Monk Seal Conservation in Greece. Part 1. Coastal and Island Greece. Final Report for the European Commission Project B4-3040/95/qG9/ AO/D2. IUCN/UNEP 1988. The Mediterranean monk seal. A status report. An action plan. Marine Mammal Action Plan Series. MARCHESSAUX D. & DUGUY R. 1977. Le phoque moine, M. monachus (Hermann, 1779) en Grece. Mammalia 41(4): 419-439. PANO.U A., JACOBS J. & PANOS D. 1993. The endangered Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus in the 10niah Sea, Greece. Bioi. Cons. 64: 129-140.

REIJNDERS P., BRASSEUR S., van der TORN J., van der WOLF P., BOYD I., HARWOOD J., LAVIGNE D. & LOWRY L. 1993. Seals, Fur Seals, Sea Lions and Walrus. Status Survey and Conservation Plan. IUCN/SSG Seal Specialist Group. SERGEANT D., RONALD K., BOULVA J. & BERKES F. 1978. The recent status of Monachus monachus the Mediterranean monk seal. In: Ronald K. & Duguy R. (eds.), The Mediterranean monk seal. Proceedings of the First International Conference, Rhodes, Greece, 2-5 May 1978. UNEP Technical Series 1. Pergamon Press. UNEP 1994. PresBnt status and trend of the Mediterranean monk seal (M. 'monachus) populations. Meeting of experts on the evaluation of the implementation of the action plan for the management of the Mediterranean monk seal, Rabat, Tunis, 7-9 October 1994, UNEP/RAC/SPA, Document UNEP(OCA)/MED/WG.87/3. VAMVAKAS C., TSIMENIDIS N. & KAINADAS K. 1978. Contribution to the knowledge of the distribution pattern of the Monk seal (M. monachus) in the Greek Seas. Conservation plan by the establishment of marine parks. In: Ronald K. & Duguy R. (eds.), The Mediterranean monk seal. Proceedings of the First Ipternational Conference" Rhodes, Greece, 2-5 May 1978. UNEP Technical Series 1. Pergamon Press. VERRIOPOULOS G. 1984. Interim report on the survey of the central Cyclades. Report to the European Community Contract No. P/83/472. Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature. VERRIOPOULOS G. & KIORTSIS V. 1984. Frequence at Repartition du phoque moine (Monachus monachus) en Grece-Resultats d'une enquete (1982-1984), VLACHOUTSIKOU A. & LAZARIDIS V. 1990. Monk seal in Greece. Report to the European Heritage Fund.

MOm/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal, 18 Solomou St!:, 10682 Athens, Greece

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