Nearly 800 marine mammal experts and students from international institutions attended the 37th Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, held in Dundee, Scotland (UK), from 20 to 24 April. SeaInsights partners presented several project outputs through dedicated workshops, oral presentations, poster sessions, and the video session included in the conference programme. The conference, titled “From Basics to Benefits”, highlighted the importance of connecting basic scientific knowledge to conservation outcomes for marine mammals and their environment, fostering expert discussion on key challenges and practical solutions. This aligns with the mission of the Interreg Italia-Slovenija SeaInsights project, which promotes shared knowledge, transnational cooperation, and improved understanding and management of marine ecosystems. With their participation in this conference, the project partners successfully fulfilled two project deliverables related to the communication of our project results to the larger scientific community. Specifically, the participants presented three posters, one talk, and two videos sharing the outputs from 1) improved understanding of the movement of bottlenose dolphins between Italy and Slovenia and a more holistic estimate of population abundance, 2) the genetic results from the drone sampling, 3) the development of genetic markers and their application in non-invasive collection techniques, and 4) strengthened cross-border cooperation in the monitoring and management of cetacean strandings, highlighted by shared case studies such as the solitary dolphin in Venice and the fin whale stranding in Trieste, both addressed through joint partner action.
Below is the list of the presentation titles and their presenters:
Monitoring cetacean strandings in the northern Adriatic Sea during 2023-2025: implementing transboundary collaboration — poster presentation by Luca Ceolotto, Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova.
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Non-invasive drone-based sampling of bottlenose dolphin blow in the northern Adriatic Sea: Genetic identification and future application — ustna predstavitev: Elia Fiore, Oddelek za primerjalno biomedicino in prehransko znanost, Univerza v Padovi.
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Development of microsatellite and sex markers for common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and their application to biopsy, drone-based, and eDNA samples — poster predstavitev: Elena Pazhenkova, DivjaLabs.
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Friendly transboundary collaboration enhances understanding of bottlenose dolphin movement ecology in the northern Adriatic Sea — poster predstavitev: Shakira G. Quiñones-Lebrón, Morigenos.
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The whale of the Gulf: from stranding to public engagement in the Northern Adriatic — video predstavitev: Luca Ceolotto, Oddelek za primerjalno biomedicino in prehransko znanost, Univerza v Padovi.
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A special tourist in Venice - video introduced by Guido Pietroluongo, Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova.
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