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Introduction
The negative effects caused by human activities on cetaceans and sea turtles are increasingly evident. In this regard, the CONCEPTU MARIS team is working to improve the conservation status of these species by contributing to their monitoring. Indeed, they are crucial bioindicators of marine health conditions.
The conservation status of cetaceans and sea turtles is still considered to be largely data deficient, mainly due to the fact that these animals spend most of their lives in remote areas of the high seas, which are more difficult to monitor due to their extension, to the highly dynamic nature of animals and to the high costs associated with monitoring activities in these environments in general.
With the support of the CONCEPTU MARIS team, you can contribute to the protection and conservation of these species by actively participating in the monitoring of cetaceans and sea turtles on board ferries, together with biologists and researchers. In this context, the support of shipping companies (Balearia, Corsica & Sardinia Ferries, GNV, Grimaldi Lines, Minoan Lines, Tirrenia), which make their passenger ferries available to the project, is essential.
You will be able to identify those species during a theoretical and practical training on board of ferries in 17 different routes in the Western Mediterranean Basin.
Photo: ISPRA – Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research
In order to apply you should be:
- Above 18 years
- Interested in this topic and activity
- Able to stand for several hours while keeping a high level of concentration.
Kindly remind that:
- This is not a paid activity but your participation would be valuable for you and for the environment
- Ticket costs are usually covered by the shipping companies. On some routes a small commission fee may be charged to the participant
- The monitoring will take place only during daylight hours
- Overnight accommodation is provided but it could happen that, if not, you will be asked to bring with you a sleeping bag.
- Completing the application form does not guarantee a place on this project, and your participation is subject to finding a suitable match about your availability and project needs.
- Once the maximum number of participants for each route is reached, the evaluation of the applications forms for the monitoring activity will be suspended
What are you waiting for?
Read carefully the description of the routes and choose the one that most inspires you by filling in the application form
List of the available routes
Click on each route to see the specifications (details to be finalized).
The application form can be downloaded at the bottom of the page.
It must be completed and then sent by email to the partner responsible for the route of interest (address can be found in the description of the section)
- Cagliari - Palermo
- Civitavecchia - Barcelona
- Ancona - Patras
- Valencia - Ibiza (Botafoch) - Valencia
- Valencia - Palma de Majorca - Valencia
- Palermo - Tunis
- Toulon-Alcúdia (Majorca)
- Toulon - Bastia
- Toulon - Ajaccio
- Naples - Palermo
- Palermo - Salerno
- Salerno - Salerno LOOP
- Livorno - Bastia
- Livorno - Golfo Aranci
- Savona - Bastia
- Nice/Savona - IleRousse/Bastia
- Barcelona - Tangier
| Route | Cagliari – Palermo |
| ID-Code | CAPA |
| Route manager | Capo Carbonara MPA, Sardinia, Italy |
| Departure from | Port of Cagliari |
| Day(s) of the week | Saturday |
| Time | 5:00 PM |
| Return to | Port of Cagliari |
| Day(s) of the week | Sunday |
| Time | 9:00 PM |
| Duration | 12 h one way, 12 h return |
| Timing (activity period) | Annual route |
| Specifications: | Important – At the moment (1/6/2023) the applications for this route are temporarily closed due to excess of requests. You can always check on this page when there will be new places available.
As departure is scheduled at 5 PM on Saturday, the meeting at the port of Cagliari is planned at 4 PM. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | areamarinavillasimius@gmail.com |
| Route | Civitavecchia – Barcelona |
| ID-Code | CBAR |
| Route manager | ISPRA |
| Departure from | Port of Civitavecchia |
| Day(s) of the week | Every day except Friday |
| Time | In the evening (each day time departure is different) |
| Return to | Port of Civitavecchia |
| Day(s) of the week | 2 days after departure |
| Time | Late afternoon |
| Duration | 21 h one way, 21 h return (3 days and 2 nights in total) |
| Timing (activity period) | Annual route |
| Specifications | Important – Applications for this route close on April 30, 2024. You can always check on this page when new positions will be available.
The meeting in the port of Civitavecchia is scheduled 2 hours before departure. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | conceptumaris.citizenscience@gmail.com |
| Route | Ancona – Patras |
| ID-Code | ANPA |
| Route manager | University of Turin |
| Departure from | Port of Ancona |
| Day(s) of the week | Every day except Thursday |
| Time | In the evening (each day time departure is different) |
| Return to | Port of Ancona |
| Day(s) of the week | Every day except Thursday |
| Time | In the evening (each day time departure is different) |
| Duration | 21 h one way, 21 h return |
| Timing (activity period) | Annual route |
| Specifications. e.g.: meeting place departure and arrival times organisation of day(s) and activities planned breaks meals accommodation organisation of waiting times on-board costs to be borne by the volunteer (e.g. port taxes) insurance other important info |
Important – At the moment (2/4/2023) the applications for this route are temporarily closed due to excess of requests. You can always check on this page when there will be new places available.
The meeting at the port of Ancona is planned 2 hour before the departure. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | conceptu.anpa@gmail.com |
| Route | Valencia – Ibiza (Botafoch) – Valencia |
| ID-Code | VAIB |
| Route manager | University of Valencia |
| Departure from | Port of Valencia |
| Day(s) of the week | Tuesday |
| Time | 10:00 PM (requires confirmation) |
| Return to | Port of Valencia |
| Day(s) of the week | Wednesday |
| Time | 6:30 PM (requires confirmation) |
| Duration | 6 hours, one way |
| Timing (activity period) | Annual route, twice per month |
| Specifications | The meeting at the Port of Valencia is planned at 8:00 PM. The route Valencia-Ibiza will be overnight, so accommodation is provided. Meals shall be provided by each participant. The ship is expected to arrive to Ibiza at 4:00 AM. Departure from Ibiza will be at 11:30 AM so meeting point again at the Port of Ibiza is planned at 9:30 AM. The main activity(monitor) will occur during the route Ibiza-Valencia on daylight, and will take place on the command bridge for the visual work, until sunset. It will be possible to take a lunch break and some breaks every few hours or when necessary. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | natalia.fraija@uv.es; toni.raga@uv.es |
| Route | Valencia – Palma de Majorca – Valencia |
| ID-Code | VAPA |
| Route manager | University of Valencia |
| Departure from | Port of Valencia |
| Day(s) of the week | Monday |
| Time | 9:45 PM (requires confirmation) |
| Return to | Port of Valencia |
| Day(s) of the week | Tuesday |
| Time | 7:15 PM (requires confirmation) |
| Duration | 7 hours, 30 minutes one way |
| Timing (activity period) | Annual route, twice per month |
| Specifications | The meeting at the Port of Valencia is planned at 7:30 PM. The route Valencia-Palma will be overnight, so accommodation is provided. Meals shall be provided by each participant. The ship is expected to arrive to Palma at 05:00 AM. Departure from Palma will be at 10:45 AM (requires confirmation) so meeting point again at the Port of Palma is planned at 08:30 AM. The main activity(monitoring) will occur during the route Palma-Valencia on daylight, and will take place on the command bridge for the visual work, until sunset. It will be possible to take a lunch break and some breaks every few hours or when necessary. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | natalia.fraija@uv.es; toni.raga@uv.es |
| Route | Palermo – Tunis |
| ID-Code | PATU |
| Route manager | University of Palermo |
| Departure from | Port of Palermo |
| Day(s) of the week | Saturday |
| Time | 1:00 PM |
| Return to | Port of Palermo |
| Day(s) of the week | Sunday |
| Time | 4:00 PM (according to schedule, but often late) |
| Duration | 11 h one way, 11 h return |
| Timing (activity period) | All year round |
| Specifications | We meet at Palermo harbour around 10.30 in the morning, in order to have time to do the check-in and pass custom control (is preferable, for this reason, that all passengers have passports instead of ID cards). Once on board we have a packed lunch and, after departure, we start monitoring until sunset. Usually, we have dinner with the crew (2 dinner times, at 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM). On sunday, we start working at down (if the ferry is on schedule-delays are common due to the long time needed for the passengers and containers controls at the Tunis port) until the arrival to Palermo. If possibile, we have lunch with the crew making shift between us (2 lunch times, at 11:00 AM and 12:00 AM). Cabins are always included in our tickets free of charge, with possible exceptions during summertime. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | martina.gregorietti@gmail.com |
| Route | Toulon-Alcúdia (Majorca) |
| ID-Code | TAL |
| Route manager | EcoOcéan Institut (EOI) based in Montpellier |
| Departure from | Port of Toulon |
| Day(s) of the week | Variable (mainly during the week from June-September, and mainly WE in April-May and October-November) |
| Time | Variable (often end of the day, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM) |
| Return to | Port of Toulon |
| Day(s) of the week | the day after |
| Time | Variable (often the morning of the day after, between 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM) |
| Duration | The night travel last 12 to 13 hours, the day travel last between 10 to 12 hours |
| Timing (activity period) | April to November (sometimes december) |
| Specifications | All logistics issues (team composition, meeting hour and place, etc) are given four days before the mission, as they may vary from one mission to the other. The meeting at the port of Toulon is one hour before the schedule departure time of the ferry. Travel is provided by EOI from Montpellier to Toulon and way back, as a car leaves and comes back to Montpellier with the whole team and material. If people are not taking this “shuttle”, then the travel costs and arrangements may be at their own responsabilities in contact with EOI. Before the departure of the ferry there will be a briefing to refresh about protocols and sheets to fill (can be during the shuttle travel or onboard the ferry), and when at the command bridge where activities will be held there will also be a fine-tuned explanation of on-board duties and role. The monitoring will take place only during the daylight hours, from the beginning until the end following the decision of the responsible of the team, with only one hour rest for the lunch time which is taken by half team (2 persons) per half team in a rotation mode between 12:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Overnight accommodation is provided (most of the time we get a cabin in the ferry, but for the few times it is not provided, people should take their own mastress and sleeping bag. Main meals are provided by EcoOcéan Institut most of the time when the mission duration expand over meals time (for example if the mission ended at 6:00 PM, the evening meal is not provided). |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | ecoocean@wanadoo.fr |
| Route | Toulon-Bastia |
| ID-Code | TBA |
| Route manager | EcoOcéan Institut (EOI) based in Montpellier |
| Departure from | Port of Toulon |
| Day(s) of the week | Variable (mainly during the week from June-September, and mainly WE in April-May and October-November) |
| Time | Variable (often end of the day, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM) |
| Return to | Port of Toulon |
| Day(s) of the week | The day after |
| Time | Variable (often the morning of the day after, between 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM) |
| Duration | The night travel last 9 to 10 hours, the day travel last between 8 to 11 hours |
| Timing (activity period) | April to November (sometimes december) |
| Specifications | All logistics issues (team composition, meeting hour and place, etc) are given four days before the mission, as they may vary from one mission to the other. The meeting at the port of Toulon is one hour before the schedule departure time of the ferry. Travel is provided by EOI from Montpellier to Toulon and way back, as a car leaves and comes back to Montpellier with the whole team and material. If people are not taking this “shuttle”, then the travel costs and arrangements may be at their own responsabilities in contact with EOI. Before the departure of the ferry there will be a briefing to refresh about protocols and sheets to fill (can be during the shuttle travel or onboard the ferry), and when at the command bridge where activities will be held there will also be a fine-tuned explanation of on-board duties and role. The monitoring will take place only during the daylight hours, from the beginning until the end following the decision of the responsible of the team, with only one hour rest for the lunch time which is taken by half team (2 persons) per half team in a rotation mode between 12:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Overnight accommodation is provided (most of the time we get a cabin in the ferry, but for the few times it is not provided, people should take their own mastress and sleeping bag. Main meals are provided by EcoOcéan Institut most of the time when the mission duration expand over meals time (for example if the mission ended at 6:00 PM, the evening meal is not provided). |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | ecoocean@wanadoo.fr |
| Route | Toulon-Ajaccio |
| ID-Code | TAJ |
| Route manager | EcoOcéan Institut (EOI) based in Montpellier |
| Departure from | Port of Toulon |
| Day(s) of the week | Variable (mainly during the week from June-September, and mainly WE in April-May and October-November) |
| Time | Variable (often end of the day, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM) |
| Return to | Port of Toulon |
| Day(s) of the week | The day after |
| Time | Variable (often the morning of the day after, between 6:00 AM to 12:00 AM) |
| Duration | The night travel last 9 to 10 hours, the day travel last between 6 to 8 hours |
| Timing (activity period) | April to November (sometimes december) |
| Specifications | All logistics issues (team composition, meeting hour and place, etc) are given four days before the mission, as they may vary from one mission to the other. The meeting at the port of Toulon is one hour before the schedule departure time of the ferry. Travel is provided by EOI from Montpellier to Toulon and way back, as a car leaves and comes back to Montpellier with the whole team and material. If people are not taking this “shuttle”, then the travel costs and arrangements may be at their own responsabilities in contact with EOI. Before the departure of the ferry there will be a briefing to refresh about protocols and sheets to fill (can be during the shuttle travel or onboard the ferry), and when at the command bridge where activities will be held there will also be a fine-tuned explanation of on-board duties and role. The monitoring will take place only during the daylight hours, from the beginning until the end following the decision of the responsible of the team, with only one hour rest for the lunch time which is taken by half team (2 persons) per half team in a rotation mode between 12:00 AM and 2:00 PM. Overnight accommodation is provided (most of the time we get a cabin in the ferry, but for the few times it is not provided, people should take their own mastress and sleeping bag. Main meals are provided by EcoOcéan Institut most of the time when the mission duration expand over meals time (for example if the mission ended at 6:00 PM, the evening meal is not provided). |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | ecoocean@wanadoo.fr |
| Route | Naples – Palermo |
| ID-Code | NAPA |
| Route manager | SZN |
| Departure from | Naples |
| Day(s) of the week | Tuesday |
| Time | 10:00 PM |
| Return to | Naples |
| Day(s) of the week | Day after the departure |
| Time | 7:30 PM |
| Duration | 36 hours |
| Timing (activity period) | Annual route |
| Specifications | Departure is scheduled at 10 PM. Regularly, departure is scheduled on Tuesday. The meeting point is at at the port of Naples in Piazzale Immacolatella Vecchia, at 8 PM. Overnight accommodation is provided in shared cabin (4 people/cabin). Meals are not provided. The monitoring will take place on the return trip as soon as the ship leave the harbour |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | volontari.flt.szn@gmail.com |
| Route | Palermo-Salerno |
| ID-Code | PASA |
| Route manager | SZN |
| Departure from | Naples |
| Day(s) of the week | Monday to Thursday depending on weather conditions |
| Time | 8:00 PM |
| Return to | Salerno |
| Day(s) of the week | Day after the departure |
| Time | 7:00 PM |
| Duration | 36 hours |
| Timing (activity period) | All year round (summer excluded, replaced by NAPA) |
| Specifications | Important – At the moment (1/6/2023) the applications for this route are temporarily closed due to excess of requests. You can always check on this page when there will be new places available.
Departure is scheduled at 8 PM. The day of departure will be decided depending on the weather condition. Regularly, departure is scheduled on Thursday. The meeting point is at at the port of Naples. Overnight accommodation is provided in shared cabin (4 people/cabin). Meals are not provided. The monitoring will take place on the return trip as soon as the ship leave the harbour. The ship will arrive in Salerno arounf 8 PM. Observeres will return to Naples by car. This route is suveryed only if the Salerno Salerno Loop was not possible due to bad weather conditions. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | volontari.flt.szn@gmail.com |
| Route | Salerno-Salerno LOOP |
| ID-Code | PASA |
| Route manager | SZN |
| Departure from | Salerno |
| Day(s) of the week | Monday |
| Time | 1:00 PM |
| Return to | Salerno |
| Day(s) of the week | Friday |
| Time | 7:00 PM |
| Duration | 5 days |
| Timing (activity period) | All year round/1 per month |
| Specifications | Important – At the moment (1/6/2023) the applications for this route are temporarily closed due to excess of requests. You can always check on this page when there will be new places available.
Departure is scheduled at 1 PM on Monday from the Salerno harbour. The meeting point is at Varco Ponente in the proximity of the Grimaldi Ticket office. Overnight accommodation is provided in shared cabin (4 people/cabin). Meals are provided. The monitoring will take place during day time on all differnt routes and specifically: Salerno-Palermo, Palermo-Tunisi, Tunisi-Civitavecchia, and return trip. During the survey it will not be possibile to leave the ferry during the stops at the different habours. The ship will return to Salerno around 8 PM on friday. Observeres will return to Naples by car. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | volontari.flt.szn@gmail.com |
| Route | Livorno – Bastia |
| ID-Code | LIBA |
| Route manager | CIMA |
| Departure from | Port of Livorno |
| Day(s) of the week | Everyday except weekends from November to March / Everyday from April to October |
| Time | 2:00 PM (November – March)/ 8:00 AM (April – October) |
| Return to | Port of Livorno |
| Day(s) of the week | Everyday except weekends from November to March / Everyday from April to October |
| Time | 12:00 AM (November – March) / 7:00 PM (April – October) |
| Duration | 4:30 h |
| Timing (activity period) | Annual route |
| Specifications | The meeting at the port of Livorno is planned 1 hour before the departure. Activities will be held on the command bridge where a general explanation of on-board monitoring will be provided. Meals are provided by Corsica Ferries. From November to March the monitoring takes place over two days with an overnight stay in Bastia. From April to October, monitoring takes place in a single day. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | cetasmus@cimafoundation.org |
| Route | Livorno – Golfo Aranci |
| ID-Code | LIGA |
| Route manager | CIMA |
| Departure from | Port of Livorno |
| Day(s) of the week | to be defined |
| Time | to be defined |
| Return to | Port of Livorno |
| Day(s) of the week | to be definied |
| Time | to be defined |
| Duration | 7:30 h |
| Timing (activity period) | May – September |
| Specifications | The meeting at the port of Livorno is planned 1 hour before the departure. Activities will be held on the command bridge where a general explanation of on-board monitoring will be provided. The first day we will arrive at the port of Golfo Aranci approximatly late afternoon, and we will leave again the day after in the morning. The monitoring will take place the first day from departure till sunset, the second day from 8 AM until the arrival. It will be possible to take a lunch break and some breaks every few hours or when necessary. Overnight accommodation is provided. Meals are not provided. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | cetasmus@cimafoundation.org |
| Route | Savona – Bastia |
| ID-Code | SVBA |
| Route manager | CIMA |
| Departure from | Port of Savona |
| Day(s) of the week | to be defined |
| Time | to be defined |
| Return to | Port of Savona |
| Day(s) of the week | to be defined |
| Time | to be defined |
| Duration | 12h |
| Timing (activity period) | May – September (occasionaly possibly also during other months) |
| Specifications | Important – At the moment (10/4/2024) the applications for this route are temporarily closed due to excess of requests. You can always check on this page when there will be new places available.
Survey Schedule is set monthly (in May we set the schedule for June and so on). The meeting at the port of Savona is planned 1 hour before the departure. Activities will be held on the command bridge – a general explanation of on-board monitoring will be provided before going in the command bridge. Usually monitoring activities starta 30minutes after departure . The activities will last all along the travel, pauses for lunch-dinner or when necessary will be foreseen according to departure-arrival schedule. Sometimes on of the two trips (Outbound or Return) could be run overnight, but usually trips foresees outbound and returns within the same day. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | cetasmus@cimafoundation.org |
| Route | Nice/Savona – IleRousse/Bastia |
| ID-Code | NIIR-NIBA |
| Route manager | CIMA |
| Departure from | Port of Nice / Port of Savona |
| Day(s) of the week | to be defined |
| Time | to be defined |
| Return to | Port of Nice / Port of Savona |
| Day(s) of the week | to be defined |
| Time | to be defined |
| Duration | to be defined |
| Timing (activity period) | to be defined |
| Specifications | Important – At the moment (10/4/2024) the applications for this route are temporarily closed due to excess of requests. You can always check on this page when there will be new places available.
Survey Schedule is set monthly (in May we set the schedule for June and so on). The meeting at the port of Savona/Nice is planned 1 hour before the departure. Activities will be held on the command bridge – a general explanation of on-board monitoring will be provided before going in the command bridge. The activities will last all along the travel, pauses for lunch-dinner or when necessary will be foreseen according to departure-arrival schedule. Sometimes one of the two trips (Outbound or Return) could be run overnight, but usually trips foresees outbound and returns within the same day. |
| Partner email contact to which the application form must be sent | cetasmus@cimafoundation.org |
| Route | Barcelona-Tangier 
|
| ID-Code | BTAN |
| Route manager | University of Valencia in collaboration with the University of Barcelona |
| Departure from | Port of Barcelona |
| Day(s) of the week | Variable depending the season (generally Fridays or Sundays). If interested, please contact the organisation for further information. Write at morgana.vighi@gmail.com |
| Time | In the morning/noon (each day time departure is different). If interested, please contact the organisation for further information. |
| Return to | Port of Barcelona |
| Day(s) of the week | 3,5 days after departure. If interested, please contact the organisation for further information. |
| Time | At night/early morning (each day the time is different). If interested, please contact the organisation for further information. |
| Duration | Between 28 and 33 h for each leg outbund/return. 3.5 days in total. |
| Timing (activity period) | Annual route (one trip per month) |
| Specifications. e.g.: meeting place departure and arrival times organisation of day(s) and activities planned breaks meals accommodation organisation of waiting times on-board costs to be borne by the volunteer (e.g. port taxes) insurance other important info |
The meeting in the port of Barcelona is scheduled 2 hours before departure. Activities will take place on the command bridge where a general explanation of on-board activties will be given. Depending on the time of departure, the monitoring will take place the same day of departure, after the ferry has left the harbour, or the day after departure, from 8AM until sunset. The ship will arrive in the port of Tangier usually the night of the second day, and will stop there a few hours before returning to Barcelona. It won’t be possible to disembark in Tangier. After leaving Tangier, the team will carry out the monitoring again at sunlight. It will be possible to have a lunch break or some breaks every few hours, or whenever necessary. Accommodation for the night and basic meals will be provided. Passport with 6 months validity is mandatory. |
| Email contact (to submit the application form) | natalia.fraija@uv.es / toni.raga@uv.es / morgana.vighi@gmail.com |
Application form
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