Spain leaves the Mediterranean populations of sperm whales and fin whales unprotected. This is the claim put forth by the organization OceanCare and other conservation NGOs, who have urged the Ministry for the Ecological Transition to classify these species as “endangered” in the Mediterranean. In this way, the Ministry should develop the corresponding recovery plans and implement measures to eliminate or minimize the causes that currently pose a serious threat to their survival.
The Mediterranean subpopulations of sperm whales and fin whales are considered “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), according to its latest assessment published in 2021.
On the other hand, the Spanish Catalog of Endangered Species only categorizes them as “vulnerable”, which means that the protective measures are much less extensive.
Declining populations
In the last decades, the populations of fin whale and sperm whale in the Mediterranean Sea have experienced a continuous decline, particularly pronounced in mature individuals
In the 1990s, it was estimated that there were 3,500 common rorquals in this region, while the number had decreased to 1,800 between 2018 and 2019.
According to the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN, it is estimated that the number of sperm whales in the Mediterranean ranges from 500 to 5,000 individuals, with between 250 and 2,500 being mature individuals.
Breach of an international agreement
These NGOs argue that the Ministry is not complying with the resolutions of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and the Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS), an international treaty of which Spain is a part. The member countries, including Spain, approved a resolution (8.12) in 2022 stating that, given the conservation status of the sperm whale and the fin whale in the Mediterranean, countries are urged to address these threats, with particular attention to populations in endangered and critically endangered situations, and consequently “update their national red lists.”
The assessment by the IUCN was ratified by the scientific committee of the ACCOBAMS, thus establishing it as accredited by expert criteria.
OceanCare also reminds that the Ministry itself has already committed to including the Mediterranean sperm whale in this catalog with the category of “endangered,” according to the measures outlined in the second cycle of Spain's marine strategies (concluded in 2024).
Common rorqual The Mediterranean subpopulations of sperm whales and rorquals are considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be “endangered”
Letter to the Secretary of State, Hugo Morán
For this reason, these entities have sent a letter to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Morán, requesting the inclusion of these populations in the Spanish catalogue of threatened species, following the criteria of the IUCN and Resolution 8.12 of ACCOPAMS, in order to effectively promote their protection.
The classification of these populations as endangered species would require the Ministry to develop a recovery plan.
Sperm whales and baleen whales frequently collide with ships when these animals come to the surface to breathe or search for food in shallow areas or move near the sea surface.
On the other hand, there is a broad scientific consensus that the speed of ships is the most relevant factor in determining the risk of a collision having a lethal effect on the struck animal.
Main cause of human-induced death in the northwestern Mediterranean
For these two species, collisions with vessels are the leading cause of human-induced mortality in the northwestern Mediterranean, an area with high and increasing maritime traffic intensity.
Sperm whales, once at the surface, take the opportunity to rest and nap, leaving them very vulnerable to being struck by a ship.
On the other hand, fin whales, when they travel or rest, tend to do so near the surface, which is why they are also frequently victims of collisions.
Reduce speed, the most effective option
Other resolutions of the international ACCOBAMS agreement point out that in cases where it is not feasible to steer ships away from areas with whales (as is the case in the Western Mediterranean), the most effective option to reduce fatal collisions for marine fauna is to slow down the speed of ships.
The effectiveness of other types of measures, such as alerting sailors that there may be whales in the area through onboard observers or the use of technological applications (cameras, sensors), is currently very limited
Therefore, if we truly want to effectively protect whales in this area of the Mediterranean and prevent the decline of their populations, “it is necessary to limit the speed of ships sailing through it,” say these organizations.
This is also what is required for the protected marine area of the cetacean migration corridor in the Mediterranean, delimited in the maritime zone of Valencia, Catalonia, and the Balearic Islands, whose management plan is currently being prepared by the Ministry.
The gigantic whales may seem insignificant next to large cargo or passenger ships
The ministry argues that more extensive information is needed to understand the evolution of species
Sources from the Ministry indicated that in order for a change in the category of the common rorqual in the Spanish catalog of threatened species from “vulnerable” to “endangered” to occur, it is necessary to have sufficient information that allows compliance with one or more of the guiding criteria outlined in the regulations. “We need to have large temporal series of information on this species, which allow us to understand its evolution,” they added.
The General Directorate of Biodiversity indicates that it has contracted aerial censuses of cetaceans in all Spanish waters and plans to repeat these aerial censuses, except in the Canary Islands, throughout the year 2025. With the results obtained in these censuses, “it will be possible to verify if there is sufficient information to prepare a technical report justifying the request for the inclusion of this species on the endangered species list.”
Doesn't the Government of Spain consider the evaluations of the IUCN and the scientific committee of Accobams as a properly accredited expert criteria?”
“Doesn't the Spanish Government consider the evaluations of the IUCN and the scientific committee of Accobams as properly accredited 'expert criteria'?” Responds Carlos Bravo, spokesperson for OceanCare in Spain, who sees dilatory tactics. “Spain's repeated failure to comply with what was agreed upon in resolution 8.12 of ACCOBAMS seems to indicate that the Ministry believes that the resolutions Spain subscribes to within the framework of international agreements like this one are just mere empty words,” he concludes.
The voluntary speed reduction measures are insufficient
Scientists estimate that thousands of whales die each year due to ship strikes, a number that could be significantly reduced if ships were to travel at lower speeds and certain highly populated whale areas were protected from marine traffic. However, as of today, over 90% of whale-inhabited regions experience constant ship movement, with barely 7% of high-risk zones having any form of preventive measures in place, which are also not mandatory. The risk of collisions with endangered cetaceans in the northwestern Mediterranean has been acknowledged by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which designated this region in July 2023 as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) at the request of the four states within the distribution area: France, Italy, Monaco, and Spain. However, the IMO only issued a recommendation for mariners to proceed with special caution in these zones when large and medium-sized animals are present, suggesting a voluntary reduction of speed to between 10 and 13 knots. In areas where speed reduction measures have been implemented, it has been observed that voluntary actions are rarely followed or successful.
