Many encounters with sperm whales these days, on the canyon of Cuma, in the course of monitoring the MPA Regno di Nettuno and the MPA Isole di Ventotene e S. Stefano.
These include the matching of Atlante , previously identified by Menkab in the Ligurian Sea (in October 2021).
Atlante is an immature individual victim of a collision. The cuts on the tail profile testify to an impact with a propeller, which also sheared off the left end of its tail. Atlas was sighted in a group of juvenile males, the most frequent aggregation in our study area.
Atlante represents the 17th matching between our catalog and that of Menkab.
In our study area, recognized as an Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA), it is necessary to impose measures against collisions given the high density of the species. Such measures should include modification of navigation routes and reduction of speed.