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THE PELAGOS AGREEMENT

Following the bycatch of various dolphins in Thanks to legislative measures, bycatch in
the nets of fishers in the Ligurian Sea in the late fishers’ nets is no longer a threat for cetaceans.
1980s and the support of various associations, France, Italy and the Principality of Monaco
France, Italy and the Principality of Monaco are continuing their efforts, notably to reduce
signed the Pelagos Agreement regarding the pollution by limiting the use of plastic and
creation of a Sanctuary for Marine Mammals by involving coastal communities through
in the Mediterranean on 25 November 1999 in a Partnership Charter. Various training and
Rome, with the goal to protect marine mammals awareness actions are also being launched so
and their habitats from threats deriving from that the protection of marine mammals and
human activity such as pollution, noise, collisions the quality of our environment is everybody’s
with ships, bycatch, reduced food stock, business.
disturbances, etc.).
The Pelagos Sanctuary is on the list of Specially
The Sanctuary covers a maritime area of Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance
87,500 km and 2,022 km of coastline including (SPAMI). It is the largest Marine Protected
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the maritime territory of five Regions (Provence- Area (MPA) in the Mediterranean and the only
Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Corsica, Liguria, Tuscany and international MPA devoted to the protection of
Sardinia) and 241 municipalities. marine mammals.
Eight species of cetacean are regularly present in
the Sanctuary, including five dolphin populations,
Ziphius (Cuvier’s beaked whale), sperm whales
and fin whales.

The Pelagos Sanctuary is managed by the
governments of France, Italy and the Principality
of Monaco with the support of a permanent
Secretariat based in Monaco and the support
of the Scientific and Technical Committee.
Each country is responsible for applying the
Agreement’s provisions within its own territory.

Research activities carried out as part of the
Agreement have allowed major progress to
be made in terms of understanding of marine
mammals and their threats.

www.sanctuaire-pelagos.org