Mediterranean Marine Mammal Ecology and Conservation, the latest edition of the Advances in Marine Biology series providing in-depth and up-to-date reviews on all aspects of marine biology since 1963, presents the latest information on Mediterranean marine mammal ecology and conservation. The series is well known for its excellent reviews and editing, and is now edited by Barbara E. Curry (University of Central Florida, USA), along with an internationally renowned Editorial Board. This serial will appeal to postgraduates and researchers in marine biology, fisheries science, ecology, zoology, and biological oceanography. Volumes cover all areas of marine science, both applied and basic, a wide range of topical areas from all areas of marine ecology, oceanography, fisheries management, molecular biology, and the full range of geographic areas from polar seas to tropical coral reefs. - Reviews articles on the latest advances in marine biology - Contains contributions from many leading figures in their fields of study - Presents material that is widely used by managers, students, and academic professionals in the marine sciences

Much of our knowledge about marine mammals is derived from a long-term and dedicated research effort that is evolving rapidly due to the introduction and invention of new methods.This book reflects the inventiveness of marine researchers as they try to find ways around the problems presented to them by these unusual and challenging animals.

International Marine Mammal Law is a comprehensive, introductory volume on the legal regimes governing the conservation and utilisation of marine mammals. Written as a textbook, it provides basic overviews of international conservation law, which enable the reader to understand the greater implications of governance of a specific group of species. Paired with biological information on some marine mammal species, the international regimes for whales, seals and polar bears are explored — either as part of global regimes of international environmental governance or as regimes that were specifically designed for them. The book concludes with outlooks on the future of international marine mammal law, particularly in light of Japan’s withdrawal from the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in July 2019.

Bycatch – a term widely used to refer to part of the catch unintentionally caught during a fishing operation, in addition to target species, and consisting of the discards and incidental catch of vulnerable species – is considered one of the most important threats to the profitability and sustainability of fisheries, as well as to the conservation of the marine environment and ecosystems. Understanding the bycatch issue and adopting effective measures in order to reduce bycatch rates are essential steps towards minimizing the impacts on vulnerable species and ensuring both a sustainable fisheries sector and healthy seas. In the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, the incidental catch of vulnerable species – namely seabirds, sea turtles, elasmobranchs, marine mammals and macrobenthic invertebrates – represents one of several challenges for the industrial, semi-industrial and small-scale fisheries that coexist in the region, as well as for the diverse and sensitive ecosystems impacted. Typically, data on this issue have been collected in an opportunistic manner and in ways that make comparisons difficult. The annual absolute values of incidental catch of vulnerable species are not available: studies cover only a small portion of the total fishing activity and often present important knowledge gaps for many types of fishing gear, countries and/or subregions, as well as on temporal scales, for example, to establish reliable baselines. The result is that little is known of the scope of the problem, despite incidental catch being a significant pressure on the populations of vulnerable species, as well as a concern for fishers.This regional review is an attempt to compile, in one single document, all available data and historical records on the incidental catch of vulnerable species in the Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries, obtained from existing literature, databases and other grey sources, and collated in a standardized and comparable way. The main objective is to provide comprehensive baseline information, earmark the main data gaps, as well as identify the most impacting types of fishing gear by taxonomic group. This work is a reminder of the importance of standardized data collection and the need to have baseline information in order to support decision-making in the identification of appropriate bycatch mitigation techniques, thus enabling analysis of their effectiveness and comparison over time and space, as well as facilitating the implementation of relevant conservation and/or management measures at the national, subregional and regional levels.

The field of marine mammal science has made enormous strides in the last ten years as well as attracting a large amount of interest, due no doubt to the public appeal of whales, dolphins, and seals, which are never out of media attention. The purpose of this book is to review key topics through chapters on the major disciplines from invited authorities around the world. Subjects covered include evolution and genetics, life histories, ecology, physiology, behaviour, medicine (diseases, parasitology), survey methodology, and all the main conservation issues (pollution, fisheries interactions, and sound disturbance). The book has an ecological and conservation emphasis since these are subject areas calling for the most attention in the modern world, but other areas such as evolution, physiology, and medicine are also given in-depth treatment. The book is written at the level of the undergraduate or above, although its style should appeal to anyone with a serious interest in marine mammal science.