Gulf of Corinth Natura 2000

In 2018 the Gulf of Corinth was formally included in the EU Natura 2000 network (Area code GR2520007, Law 4519/2018).

We hope that such designation won't remain "on paper" and will be followed soon by concrete and properly enforced conservation action. To this end, we are working on a new publication (based on seven years of research) that describes the habitat of striped, common/admixed and bottlenose dolphins, and defines the most effective management action to protect their populations in the Gulf.

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Our contributions so far have included:

Bearzi G., Bonizzoni S., Agazzi S., Gonzalvo J., Currey R.J.C. 2011. Striped dolphins and short-beaked common dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece: abundance estimates from dorsal fin photographs. Marine Mammal Science 27(3):E165–E184.

Bearzi G., Bonizzoni S., Gonzalvo J. 2011. Mid-distance movements of common bottlenose dolphins in the coastal waters of Greece. Journal of Ethology 29(2):369-374.

Bearzi G., Bonizzoni S., Santostasi N.L., Eddy L. 2017. I cetacei del Golfo di Corinto, Grecia. Pp. 59-61 in S. Mellea and F. Ricciardelli (eds.), Capodogli e delfini dei nostri mari: criticità e strategie di protezione. Fondazione Marittima Ammiraglio Michelagnoli, Taranto.

Bearzi G., Bonizzoni S., Santostasi N.L., Furey N.B., Eddy L., Valavanis V.D., Gimenez O. 2016. Dolphins in a scaled-down Mediterranean: the Gulf of Corinth's odontocetes. Pp. 297-331 in Mediterranean Marine Mammal Ecology and Conservation (G. Notarbartolo di Sciara, M. Podestà and B.E. Curry, eds). Advances in Marine Biology, Vol. 75, Academic Press, Oxford.

Bearzi G., Casale P., Margaritoulis D., Bonizzoni S., Santostasi N.L. 2015. Observation of a leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. Marine Turtle Newsletter 146:6-9.

Bonizzoni S., Bearzi G. 2012. Conservation status of short-beaked common dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. 12th International Congress on the Zoogeography and Ecology of Greece and Adjacent Regions (ICZEGAR), Athens, Greece 18-22 June 2012.

Bonizzoni S., Bearzi G. , Santostasi N.L., Furey N.B., Valavanis V.D., Würsig B. 2016. Dolphin depredation of bottom-set fishing nets in the Gulf of Corinth, Mediterranean Sea. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, Funchal, Madeira, 14-16 March 2016.

Bonizzoni S., Furey N.B., Valavanis V.D., Bearzi G. 2018. Predicting dolphin distribution within an Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) in Greece to support spatial management planning. Proceedings of the 32nd Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society. La Spezia, Italy, 6-10 April 2018.

Pearson H.C., Bearzi G., Bonizzoni S., Santostasi N.L. 2014. Understanding the social organization of an apex marine predator to inform conservation practices: striped dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. International Marine Conservation Congress, Glasgow, Scotland, 14-18 August 2014.

Santostasi N.L., Bonizzoni S., Bearzi G. 2014. Striped dolphin abundance in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece: dataset simulations help improve sampling design. International Marine Conservation Congress, Glasgow, Scotland, 14-18 August 2014.

Santostasi N.L., Bonizzoni S., Bearzi G. 2015. Optimizing abundance estimates of striped dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. Proceedings of the 29th Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society. St. Julians, Malta, 23-25 March 2015.

Santostasi N.L., Bonizzoni S., Bearzi G., Eddy L., Gimenez O. 2016. Revised abundance estimates of striped and short-beaked common dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth, Mediterranean Sea. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society. Funchal, Madeira, 14-16 March 2016.

Santostasi N.L., Bonizzoni S., Bearzi G., Eddy L., Gimenez O. 2016. A robust design capture-recapture analysis of abundance, survival and temporary emigration of three odontocete species in the Gulf of Corinth, Greece. PLoS ONE 11(12): e0166650.

Santostasi N.L., Bonizzoni S., Gimenez O., Eddy L., Bearzi G. 2018. Common dolphins in the Gulf of Corinth are Critically Endangered. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. doi: 10.1002/aqc.2963