On sightings of (vagrant?) monk seals, Monachus monachus, in the Mediterranean Basin and their importance for the conservation of the species

Abstract

In ancient times, the distribution range of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) extended all over the coasts of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and parts of the north‐eastern Atlantic coast. Nowadays, the species is classified as Endangered and the current total world population is stated to consist of ~700 animals, though numbers mostly express best estimates. Distribution patterns in documents of international authorities from the last 15 years indicate the species' extinction in a number of Mediterranean countries, whereas in some of them only a few individuals are thought to survive and in others the status is unknown. This study analyses recent monk seal sightings over the period from 2000 to 2014 in the Mediterranean Basin. The locations of the sightings cover most of the study area and indicate a spreading of individual seals or a more stable presence in regions where the species was considered extinct. The investigation pointed out that efforts for the protection of monk seals, the most endangered marine mammal in Europe, should encompass all areas where monk seal sightings have been recorded, including the protection and conservation of potential suitable habitats in countries where the species apparently no longer exists. Appropriate conservation measures, such as the establishment of marine protected areas and sustainable management of fisheries, will aid natural recolonization and enhance gene flow between distant regions throughout the Mediterranean Basin, allowing the reconnection of distant populations or individual animals.

A Mediterranean Monk Seal Pup on the Apulian Coast (Southern Italy): Sign of an Ongoing Recolonisation?

“…The latter was a museum specimen which had been caught along the west coast of Brac (Croatia) in 1914 [19]. Because of the absence of reproductive populations of the species, the Mediterranean monk seal is currently considered "probably extinct" within the Adriatic Sea and the few individuals recorded in this basin are usually considered as "vagrants", individuals coming from areas where the species is more abundant and reproductively active [20,23]. While the Adriatic waters are only sporadically inhabited by Mediterranean monk seals, the Ionian Islands still host several M. monachus individuals.…”

“…The finding of a Mediterranean monk seal born along the Apulian coast is an important event that proves the recovery of this species in the Mediterranean basin and the probable recolonisation of areas from which it had disappeared. The phenomenon of recolonization has already been hypothesized taking into consideration the increase in sightings in areas of the Mediterranean Sea where the species is not a stable resident [20]. For example, along the Lebanese coast a total of 47 sightings of Mediterranean monk seals was recorded from 2004 to April 2020.…”

“…In recent years, a recovery in monk seal populations has been observed and the species has been reclassified as "Endangered" by the International Units for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) [2]. Probably following the recovery of M. monachus populations, an increase in sightings has been observed in areas where the species seemed to be extinct, including North African countries, the coasts of the Levantine Sea, and those of the Adriatic-Ionian region [20]. Sightings of monk seals within the Adriatic basin are now numerous in Croatia, although vagrant individuals are also recorded in Montenegro, Albania and Apulia (Southern Italy) [20].…”

“…Probably following the recovery of M. monachus populations, an increase in sightings has been observed in areas where the species seemed to be extinct, including North African countries, the coasts of the Levantine Sea, and those of the Adriatic-Ionian region [20]. Sightings of monk seals within the Adriatic basin are now numerous in Croatia, although vagrant individuals are also recorded in Montenegro, Albania and Apulia (Southern Italy) [20]. The presence of the Mediterranean monk seal along the Apulian coasts is not new; bone remains excavated from the Grotta Romanelli indicate that this area was a habitat for M. monachus individuals dating back to the Late Upper Paleolithic [21].…”

“…The presence of the Mediterranean monk seal along the Apulian coasts is not new; bone remains excavated from the Grotta Romanelli indicate that this area was a habitat for M. monachus individuals dating back to the Late Upper Paleolithic [21]. Over the centuries the species has progressively disappeared from Apulia, although some sightings were recorded in the Tremiti Island archipelago and in Salento in the second half of the 1900s [22] and between 2000 and the present day [20,23], indicating a probable recolonisation of this area.…”