Call for expression of interest for boat services to conduct surveys for cetaceans, large vertebrates and floating marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea – Summer 2026

Complete details of the call can be found here.

Implemented between 2018 and 2023, the first edition of ASI (ASI-I) constituted the first large-scale, coordinated survey covering the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Through a combination of aerial, vessel-based and passive acoustic monitoring, it produced essential data and delivered robust estimates of cetacean abundance and distribution, as well as on other marine megafauna and the human pressures affecting these ecosystems.

Following the positive impact of ASI-I, ASI-II was launched in June 2025 and will run until 2028, under the coordination of the ACCOBAMS Secretariat. Building on the achievements and lessons learned from the first phase, ASI-II aims to generate new scientifically robust data on cetaceans and associated species (e.g. sea turtles, seabirds, pelagic fish) while also assessing major anthropogenic pressures such as marine litter through its next regional synoptic survey planned during the summer 2026.

An essential component of the 2026 campaign is the implementation of vessel-based visual and passive acoustic surveys along predefined transects, following harmonized protocols to ensure comparability across subregions and enable joint data analysis.

In this context, the ACCOBAMS Secretariat is seeking organisations or companies able to provide suitable research vessels and qualified crews for the 2026 ASI II Mediterranean survey campaign.