Planting Underwater Gardens of Posidonia seagrass- a new innovative planting process
Thursday, 29 June 2023
An innovative process of planting underwater gardens of Posidonia oceanica seagrass, was just completed in the southeastern Aegean Sea by researchers from Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation after 3 months of preparation. Given the rarity of the phenomenon of seagrass bearing flowers and fruits, this method of planting Posidonia seagrass has been applied only a
- Published in Press Releases
Aegean Islet Conservation Project in cooperation with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture
Wednesday, 17 May 2023
A new cycle of interdisciplinary on-site research of the Aegean Islet Conservation Project was completed in the past days, aboard the research vessel Aegean Explorer, in the framework of the Archipelagos Institute’s collaboration with the University of Toronto, , John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Design. This common research that has started since
- Published in Press Releases
Mutilated Striped Dolphin Stranded on the shores of Samos Island
Friday, 12 May 2023
A mutilated striped dolphin was found stranded on the north shores of Samos island. Its tail was severed and had a sharp piercing wound – evidence of its deliberate killing. Through assessing the weather patterns of preceding days and the distribution of striped dolphin populations in the region, it is estimated that this dolphin was
- Published in Marine Conservation
Posidonia Seagrass Fruits Wash up on Our Shores – A Rare Phenomenon
Wednesday, 03 May 2023
In recent weeks, at many beaches along the coasts of the Aegean Sea, Cyprus and other areas of the Mediterranean, we have observed a very rare phenomenon that occurs only every 5-10 years. Large volumes of Posidonia oceanica fruits and sees are being released following the flowering we recorded last autumn. This event has not
- Published in Marine Conservation, News, Seagrass & Coralligene
Sperm Whale Migration
Sunday, 23 April 2023
As we are now approaching the middle of autumn, sperm whales are again migrating over the deep trench between the islands of Ikaria, Chios, and Samos, a migration that we have been recording them making for the past two decades. At a time when we have every reason to worry about the survival of marine
- Published in Marine Mammals
Microplastic Pollutants found in stranded Dolphins, Sea Turtles and Seals in the Aegean Sea
Wednesday, 05 April 2023
A new scientific publication by the Archipelagos Institute for Marine Conservation, entitled “First Assessment of Micro-Litter Ingested by Dolphins, Sea Turtles and Monk Seals Found Stranded along the Coasts of Samos Island, Greece”, formed the first study conducted in the Aegean quantifying the abundance of microplastic and plastics in stranded marine life. Research evaluated pollutants
- Published in Laboratory Research, Marine Mammals
Mass stranding of 12 Cuvier’s beaked whale on the North-West coast of Cyprus
Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Twelve Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) have been found stranded, one after the other in recent days on the northwest coast of Cyprus. This has raised great concern regarding both the cause of the event and the devastation to the species’ population in the area. In addition to the 12 whales found dead, it is
Tragedy in Turkey and Syria
Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Our past week of silence across social media amounts to a small sign of respect for the tragic disaster experienced by our fellow citizens and neighbors in Turkey and Syria. We remain in contact with our colleagues and former students living in the region, as well as being grateful for our researcher who was on
Interactive Activities for the Protection of the Sea
Friday, 23 December 2022
Before the closing of schools for Christmas break, students from the schools of Patmos and Lipsi took part in interactive activities for the protection of the sea. Through presentations and games, we aim to enrich their knowledge regarding biodiversity and ways in which we can all contribute to their protection through our day-to-day actions. Here
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale
Tuesday, 20 December 2022
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale in the waters of the North Aegean – one of the most important recent recordings by Archipelagos’ marine mammal research team. Research and conservation action continues despite the challenging conditions of the season, as is every winter. It gives us great hope that in specific sea areas such as the waters of
From dawn in the open sea
Thursday, 08 December 2022
From dawn in the open sea, having 2-3 hours until the clouds and rains approach us. Despite the challenging conditions and the cold weather, every hour in the open sea is important, in our great effort to protect marine life. Let’s not forget that the protection of the environment is a responsibility we all share
Archipelagos in the 8th Meeting of the Members of ACCOBAMS
Friday, 02 December 2022
The 8th meeting of the members of ACCOBAMS (Agreement for the Conservation of Cetaceansof the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Adjacent Atlantic Area) was concluded today in Malta, with participants from 24 Mediterranean and Black Sea countries. As a member of ACCOBAMS, Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation participated in the meeting. Our aim was to share
The International School of the Sea – Action Continues during the Winter Months
Thursday, 01 December 2022
As winter is approaching, Archipelagos’ International School of the Sea continues, despite the often-adverse weather conditions, training actions in applied field research for the protection of the seas. More than 20,000 young people from 46 countries, postgraduate and undergraduate students and young scientists of various specialties, have been trained in the last 22 years in
Green Turtles – Winter Monitoring
Wednesday, 23 November 2022
The work for the preparation of the bay at the Aegean Marine Life Sanctuary on the island of Lipsi continues at an intensive rate and Archipelagos’ team remains on site despite the frequently adverse weather conditions. It gives us great joy to see that the areas where we replant and nurture underwater gardens of Posidonia
NEW DATA REVEALS BOTTOM TRAWLING IN PROTECTED AREAS
Wednesday, 02 November 2022
GREATER TRANSPARENCY NEEDED TO STOP ILLEGAL FISHING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 2 November 2022: Members of the Med Sea Alliance, a diverse coalition of NGOs, today launched a new data atlas which, for the first-time, maps areas permanently closed to bottom trawling across the Mediterranean and investigates illegal trawling in these areas. The Atlas is
- Published in Press Releases
A productive meeting with the Greek Deputy Minister of Environment
Friday, 07 October 2022
A productive meeting with the Greek Deputy Minister of Environment Mr Giorgos Amiras and the General Secretary of the Ministry Dr Konstantinos Aravossis. Despite the many bureaucratic (and not only) obstacles we are now in the finishing line before beginning the operation of the Aegean Marine Life Sanctuary!
Teylers Museum in Netherlands – Event for the Aegean Marine Life Sanctuary
Tuesday, 04 October 2022
In dedication to World Animal Day, we came together with our partners, World Animal Protection Nederland, at the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, Netherlands. Α session was devoted to the Aegean Marine Life Sanctuary, which is currently under construction. Speakers included Tim Grandjean and Anastasia Miliou from Archipelagos Institute, led by Thierry Reniers, co-director of World
Underwater Forests of Black Corals at 100m depth
Thursday, 29 September 2022
The “Aegean Explorer” crew continues with the “Protecting Aegean Coralligenous” project, in cooperation with expert organisations and universities. Our aim is to actively discover and map the location of coralligenous habitats of the Aegean Sea. In this challenging effort, the active role of local fishermen from the Aegean islands, particularly the island of Fourni, is
Posidonia seagrass replanting continues
Friday, 23 September 2022
Now in the autumn Archipelagos’ international team continues hard work on Posidonia seagrass replanting continues. Divers and snorkelers, with the help of the support team on kayaks, continue the transport of the especially prepared plants into our underwater gardens. At a day and age when we refer to the extinction of species, as something that
The Bigfin reef squid – one of the many alien species we record in the Aegean!
Friday, 09 September 2022
The Bigfin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana is one of the many alien species we record in the Aegean! The biodiversity of our seas is changing due to climate change, but also due to human-induced factors such as the creation and more recently the expansion of the Suez Canal. However, what plays the most important role