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Critical Habitat Notes including justification for its importance as Critical Habitat Size (Total/ proposed for
protection/zoning) + Location

Pelagos fin whale habitat - 42˚40S + Feeding habitat with productive Meganyctiphanes norvegica, main fin whale food
5˚30E***

FRANCE

Port Cros National Park (Le Parc Existing protected area with possible cetacean habitat but may be too small for significant conservation benefits for cetaceans 24 sq km (18 sq km marine)
national de Port-Cros)

Côte Bleue Marine Park (Parc 100 sq km) with 25 km coastline extending
Marin Côte Bleue) 2 nm (4 km) offshore; park includes two
Existing protected area with possible cetacean habitat but may be too small for significant conservation benefits for cetaceans small fully protected marine reserves of
0.85 sq km at Carry and 2.1 sq km at
Couronne

Cerbère-Banyuls Natural Marine
Reserve (Réserve Naturelle Marine Existing protected area with possible cetacean habitat but may be too small for significant conservation benefits for cetaceans 6.5 sq km
de Cerbère-Banyuls)

Bonifaccio Marine Reserve Existing protected area with possible cetacean habitat but may be too small for significant conservation benefits for cetaceans
(Réserve Marin Bouches de
Bonifacio)

Scandola Nature Reserve (Réserve Proposed MPA. This reserve is included in the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals. There may be an 9.2 sq km land and 10 sq km marine
Naturelle de Scandola), proposed opportunity for the sanctuary management plan to incorporate and utilize the protection afforded to dolphin habitat here waters

ITALY Biodiversity around deep canyon incursion into the continental slope, including cetaceans; area of special importance to D.
Ischia/ Regno di Nettuno delphis and P. macrocephalus; S. coeruleoalba is most numerous cetacean

Sicilian Channel (incl Pelagie Winter feeding habitat for fin whales but habitat needs to be defined; distribution of other cetacean species needs to be 10.000 sq km
Islands)*** defined; waters around Malta and SE Sicily have been identified as D. delphis habitat

Pelagie Islands MPA (Isole Pelagie Rationale is to protect marine waters and sea floor including biological, geological and cultural features. Research on
area di reperimento) proposed, in cetaceans includes photo-ID studies of bottlenose dolphins and tracking of fin whales near Lampedusa Island, but there is
process of designation limited information on the two species’ presence and habitat use. There have been only 12 individual dolphins photo-
identified here. Size and location data on the proposed MPA are needed to determine if it is of value to cetaceans.

Egadi Islands (Isole Egadi) MPA Rationale is to protect marine waters and the sea floor with biological, geological and cultural features. Research on
bottlenose dolphins includes photo-ID and acoustics. Suggested future research should examine dolphin interactions with
fishing gear, relative abundance and distribution of Tursiops in MPA. Use of AHDs (acoustic devices to drive dolphins away 538.1 sq km
from nets) needs to be evaluated for harm to dolphins (Notarbartolo and Birkun 2002) and possibly banned at least from the
MPA.