Monitoring density and abundance of cetaceans in the seas around Italy through aerial surveys: a summary contribution to conservation and the future ACCOBAMS survey

Distance sampling methods were applied to estimate the number of fin whales, striped dolphins and common bottlenose dolphin. The study areas included: the Pelagos Sanctuary (winter 2009, summer 2009 and 2010), a portion the Ionian Sea, including the Gulf of Taranto (spring 2010), the Central and Southern Tyrrhenian, the Corsica and Sardinia Seas, and the Adriatic Sea (summer 2010).