Mission Blue has announced a new “Hope Spot” off Spain’s northeast coast.
The Vilanova i la Geltrú Coastal Waters Hope Spot spans a 12- to 15-mile wide (1,944-square-kilometer) area southwest of Barcelona.
Scientists think this area may be an important feeding ground for fin whales in the Mediterranean.
According to Mission Blue Founder Dr. Sylvia Earle:
“Hope Spot champions Michel André and Marisa Zaragozá are working together on a pioneering research project utilizing cutting-edge technology, including bioacoustics, imaging, and eDNA to study the presence of fin whales in these feeding grounds, as well as the greater biodiversity found off the Catalan coast. Combining state-of-the-art technological innovation with modern methods will provide a wealth of complementary biodiversity information and provide unique details unobtainable by individual monitoring systems. This will revolutionize how the area ecosystems are sampled, mapped, and understood. We look forward to seeing the data and information from this project used to help inform marine spatial planning decisions for this Hope Spot, not only for fin whales, but for all marine life that call this place home.”
To learn more about this particular Hope Spot, go to missionblue.org or check out the video below.
(Featured image credit: EDMAKTUB)
