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Planting Underwater Gardens of Posidonia seagrass- a new innovative planting process

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

Aegean Islet Conservation Project in cooperation with the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Architecture

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

Mutilated Striped Dolphin Stranded on the shores of Samos Island

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

Posidonia Seagrass Fruits Wash up on Our Shores – A Rare Phenomenon

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

Sperm Whale Migration

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

Microplastic Pollutants found in stranded Dolphins, Sea Turtles and Seals in the Aegean Sea

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

Mass stranding of 12 Cuvier’s beaked whale on the North-West coast of Cyprus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A productive meeting with the Greek Deputy Minister of Environment

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

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

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

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!

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
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