Lecce, 24 July 2023 Press release
Legambiente’s Goletta Verde spotted a mother sperm whale and her baby off the coast of Lecce
Special sighting for Goletta Verde. The historic Legambiente boat, which is sailing along the Italian peninsula to monitor the state of health of marine waters and the coast, spotted a mother sperm whale with her baby off the coast of Lecce. An exciting encounter filmed yesterday evening, shortly before sunset, with the use of a drone piloted by Steven Salamone, a member of the Goletta Verde crew. During the sighting, the environmental association, in order not to disturb the two cetaceans, followed all the indications of the University of Siena, with which it has been collaborating for years on the theme of protecting the Mediterranean and combating marine litter. The sighting was also reported on the Marine Ranger app of the LIFE DELFI project designed to monitor the presence of cetaceans in the Mediterranean. Legambiente recalls that the reports and observations are of fundamental importance for researchers engaged in identifying threats and areas of interaction with human activities of dolphins, whales and even seals, so that they can intervene quickly in case of emergency (beaching, interaction with nets or lines, etc.).
Since Goletta Verde began its voyage on 30 June from Liguria, it has also spotted some Caretta Caretta turtles and dolphins. Today the travelling campaign will begin its ninth stop in Puglia with a series of appointments scheduled from 24 to 26 July. Now in its 37th edition, Legambiente’s Goletta Verde is being organised with the main partnerships of ANEV, CONOU, Novamont and Renexia and the media partnership of La Nuova Ecologia.