PELAGOS: THE SANCTUARY OF WHALES

Jérôme Espla et Eric de Keyser have just dedicated an 52 'to the sanctuary Pelagos: created there are 10 years by Italy, France and Monaco, it is a fragile Eden where we find a surprising concentration of cetaceans, but who is also in the heart Mediterranean highways. And it is this difficult equation that Pelagos has to solve constantly.

NEAR US, IN UNKNOWN LAND

Cetaceans, Eric and Jerome know. From humpback whale nurseries in Polynesia to Red Sea dolphins, they have to their credit several shootings on the subject. But they do not imagine them at their door or almost. Until they meet "Patrice, a very respectful fishing guide. In the conversation he evokes the whales he sees regularly or the sperm whales, pilot whales, or dolphins Risso he crosses. To prove his point, he takes us with him to sea. After 20 miles of navigation on an area he knows, the festival begins ... We made several trips with him and almost every time the big mammals were at the rendezvous. you. " And it is not a hazard. They are in the heart of Pelagos.

THE DIFFICULT EQUATION

The area is vast. Some 87500 km2 located between the islands of Hyères, the North of Sardinia, and the Italian coast square kilometers, a huge triangle in the Sea of ​​Ligurians erected in sanctuary 10 years ago by France, Italy and Monaco. For the first time, three states protect together! The very particular climatic and hydrological conditions make the region a plankton-rich area: a multitude of dolphins and whales, attracted to this underwater Eden, come to stay there. But if there is the highest concentration of cetaceans in the entire Mediterranean, it is also an area in which human activities are very important, whether it is a commercial vessel or pleasure craft. The challenge is therefore significant, to achieve a balance between preservation of wildlife and maintenance of human activities.

A VINGTAINE OF SPECIES

In all, around twenty species of cetaceans inhabit Mediterranean waters. The main ones are the blue and white dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), the pilot whale (Globicephala melas), the Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). Several censuses have estimated the number of whales alive in the western Mediterranean at between 3 and 000 individuals. It is the most common whale in the Mediterranean. "A great fin whale, nearly 4 meters long, naturally becomes the common thread of the film". The authors take the party to personify the giant, "so that the observations, they say, come directly from the depths and the heart of Pelagos".

TURNING IN APNEA AND RECYCLING

To avoid disturbing the animals, the authors of course shot in apnea, or using military-style closed-circuit rebreathers. "In many species, bubbles and the noise they cause are considered aggression and often result in a flight reaction. "They also needed to be patient: take the time to understand the behavior of cetaceans, assess their trajectory, and wait, wait again, that the moment is conducive to launching. They surround themselves with the best specialists, listen to their advice, take advantage of the experience of those who almost every day are at sea with cetaceans: Patrice, whale-watching specialist, but also various associations working in the sanctuary to a better knowledge of animals. And back on land, cetacean specialists decrypt observations, explain ...

PELAGOS, UNIQUE CHANCE TO PRESERVE THEM

Eric and Jérôme wanted through this documentary to show the animals of course, but also to give the floor to all the actors concerned by Pelagos: States, local authorities, maritime transport professionals, research institutes, NGOs ... "Through their eyes crossed , they explain, we wanted to show the subtle balance that today maintains the great cetaceans in the Mediterranean, between science, research, respect and business. Faced with the industrialization of the Mediterranean, the Pelagos Sanctuary is the only chance to preserve these animals in this area. "

WORKING AROUND CETACEANS

Very quickly, Jérôme and Eric will realize the work accomplished around the preservation of these species: in the 3 founding countries, researchers are busy. Scientists are, for example, in charge of carrying out counts of large mammals by aerial overflight. Others, by boat, EcoOcéan, Souffleurs d'Ecume Fondazione CIMA, Acadamia Del Leviatano or ISPRA, study their routes, their distribution according to the seasons, and cross-check with trade routes. Others, like the GECEM, are working on a photo-identification catalog, or like the WWF carry out biopsy campaigns to establish the level of contamination of whales, sperm whales and pilot whales or to compare the filiation of individuals across the seas and oceans ...

OF HEAVY THREATS

But beyond the work of scientists, who seek to better understand the species, serious threats hang over Pelagos. Driftnet fishing has been banned thanks to the Sanctuary, but other risks are just as fatal as collisions with large vessels. The REPCET system, developed under the impetus of the Souffleurs d'Ecume association, therefore aims to reduce the number of these accidents according to a principle of information exchange. Every large cetacean sighting made by watchkeeping staff from a REPCET user vessel is transmitted in near real time by satellite to a server located on land. The server centralizes the data and broadcasts alerts to vessels equipped and likely to be affected by a report. The alerts are then mapped on board on a dedicated screen. Other voluntary contributors can also participate in the system by reporting the cetaceans observed, in particular military ships, scientists at sea, whale-watching operators or even pleasure craft.

        WHALE WATCHING Whale-watching is also at the heart of the concerns of Pelagos managers: beyond the code of good conduct recommending in particular areas and distances of approach, they now wish to create a voluntary tool to supervise the activity. , a sort of quality label. And also in the direction of public awareness, the Port-Cros National Park, which oversees the French side, has devised a partnership charter between Pelagos and the neighboring municipalities. The municipalities that have signed this charter can also fly the Pelagos flag. The goal is to materialize the sanctuary for the general public, but also to create a dynamic around marine mammals. Share, inform, raise awareness, to better protect. A message identical to the one conveyed to us by the documentary by Eric de Keyser and Jérôme Espla. 

“The Whale Sanctuary” will be broadcast on SATURDAY FEBRUARY 16 at 15:20 pm ON FRANCE 3 PROVENCE-ALPES & CôTE D'AZUR

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