November 5 (BTA) - The Bulgarian conservation organization Green Balkans is taking part in an international project in the Black Sea called BlackCeTrends (where "Ce" stands for "cetaceans") in partnership with organizations in Romania, Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey, the Green Balkans press office reported on Thursday.

The project is aimed at collecting acoustic data on the presence of porpoises and dolphins by using specially designed passive monitoring instruments of the F-POD type supplied by British manufacturer Chelonia free of charge for two years' use. The data are collated periodically, about once a month, and are processed by special computer software.

Green Balkans has four F-PODs, three of which have already been installed in mussel farms near Kavarna, Sozopol and Ravda. The instrument at Kavarna has yielded initial results, showing over 100 acoustic detections of porpoises in 24 days.

The two-year project will complement the visual surveys which Green Balkans has been conducting for four years for the purpose of protecting cetaceans. RI/VE
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