The Department of Fisheries and Marine Research of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus aims to strengthen scientific research on marine ecosystems, from shallow to deep realm, to build up a concrete knowledge base upon which to identify and protect areas that accommodate ecological important features and to support decision-making towards the protection and conservation of the marine environment and the sustainable management of marine resources for a more healthy and productive marine environment.

The abovementioned objectives will be pursued through the following actions, co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund 2014-2020 and expected to be completed by 2020:

a) Mapping of the meadows of the marine angiosperm Posidonia oceanica and other habitats:

Detailed mapping of the meadows of the Mediterranean endemic marine angiosperm Posidonia oceanica in the coastal waters of Cyprus. Posidonia meadows constitute the most important marine ecosystem of the Mediterranean. The project will provide detailed information on the geographical and bathymetrical distribution of Posidonia meadows, their extent, density and condition at an adequate spatial scale so as to fulfill the requirements of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EC). Moreover, the mapping will cover other important habitats, i.e. reefs and sandbanks.

b) Cetacean population survey research:

A comprehensive assessment of cetacean distribution and population abundance for all species present in the marine waters of Cyprus. In addition, the project aims to identify critical habitats and provide ecosystem information for important marine areas and identify the biodiversity features and areas where impacts and threats arise; especially noise pressure from vessel routes. Such surveys have been conducted and will further be conducted using low noise level vessels equipped with acoustic hydrophones and A-frame platform for visual and acoustic research.

The survey will search for delphinids, such as Stenella coeruleoalba, Steno bredanensis, Tursiops truncatus, Grampus griseus etc, in addition to the recordings of sperm whales (Physeter macrocepalus) in mid-frequency recordings; also higher frequency recordings should be captured in order to detect beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris).The entire acoustic system should be able to detect signals from 10Hz to 200kHz.

c) Survey of the benthic biodiversity of Eratosthenes Sea mountain:

Oceanographic deep-sea survey to deliver high resolution seafloor mapping and characterization of benthic habitats in selected areas on Eratosthenes seamount in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus. Eratosthenes is the most prominent geomorphological feature in the Eastern Mediterranean, located between Cyprus and the Nile Cone, rising more than 1500 m from the sea bottom. The existing information on the biodiversity of Eratosthenes is very limited, but the few available research findings suggest that Eratosthenes is of great conservation importance. The Seamount has already been declared as a Fisheries Restricted Area by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean.

This project aims to identify the presence on the seamount of sensitive deep-sea benthic habitats and provide information on their distribution, extent and condition assessment. The outcomes of this project will seriously increase the very limited knowledge of the deep-sea biodiversity of the Levantine-Eastern Mediterranean.