2023 年 9 月 2 日，Golfo Paradiso 观鲸船 "Corsara" 在地中海西北部 Pelagos 保护区执行例行观测任务时，发现一头携带幼鲸的鳍鲸（Balaenoptera physalus）。

船上生物学家 Jessica Picozzi 通过背部特征性的螺旋桨伤疤，确认该个体为 Tethys 研究所档案中的已知个体——"Propeller"。

On September 2, 2023, the whale-watching vessel Corsara, operated by Golfo Paradiso, was on a routine survey in the Pelagos Sanctuary in the northwestern Mediterranean when it encountered a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) accompanied by a calf.

Onboard biologist Jessica Picozzi identified the individual by her distinctive propeller scars: a known whale in the Tethys Research Institute archive — "Propeller."

带幼鲸的鳍鲸目击在地中海西北部极为罕见。此次目击首次确认 Propeller 为雌性，并证实了她的繁殖能力。

Fin whales sighted with a calf are exceptionally rare in the northwestern Mediterranean. The encounter confirmed for the first time that Propeller is female, and that she is reproductively active.

目击记录

The Sighting

"这头幼鲸是今年记录到的最小的鳍鲸个体，"Jessica Picozzi 说，"它看起来状态良好。母鲸虽然略显消瘦，但不比其他个体更糟——尽管经历了那么多，她的状态仍然可以接受。"

"This was the smallest fin whale we've recorded all year," Jessica Picozzi said. "The calf appeared in good condition. The mother is somewhat thin, but no worse than the other individuals we've documented — given everything she has been through, her condition is still acceptable."

鳍鲸是地球上现存第二大物种，仅次于蓝鲸。每年夏天，它们聚集在 Pelagos 保护区觅食磷虾，通常以成年个体或已断奶的幼鲸形式出现，带哺乳期幼鲸的目击属于例外情况。2023 年整个夏季，保护区内共记录了七头幼鲸，其中五头由 Golfo Paradiso 观鲸船发现，一头由 "Delfini del Ponente" 协会记录。即便如此，Propeller 带幼鲸的目击仍被研究人员视为当季最具意义的事件之一。

The fin whale is the second-largest animal alive, after only the blue whale. Each summer they gather in the Pelagos Sanctuary to feed on krill — typically as adults or already-weaned juveniles. Encounters with nursing calves are the exception. Across the summer of 2023, seven calves in total were recorded inside the sanctuary: five by Golfo Paradiso vessels, one by the "Delfini del Ponente" association. Even so, Propeller's sighting with a calf is regarded by researchers as one of the season's most significant events.

个体档案：1998 — 2023

Individual Record: 1998 — 2023

Tethys 研究所认识 Propeller 已有二十五年。

The Tethys Research Institute has known Propeller for twenty-five years.

1998 年，研究人员在例行调查中首次记录该个体，发现时背部和右侧已存在明显的平行切痕，研判为船舶螺旋桨撞击所致。此后她长期失踪，研究人员对其生存状况深感忧虑。

In 1998, during a routine survey, researchers first recorded her — already bearing clear parallel cuts along her back and right flank, assessed as injuries from a vessel propeller. She then disappeared from the record for an extended period, and her survival was a serious concern.

2010 年夏季，Propeller 再次出现，此时背鳍已向一侧塌陷，研究人员推断这可能是原始伤害的迟发性损伤，也可能是另一次撞击事故所致。此后数年间，观鲸运营商和船只不时传来她的目击报告，其中一次发生在 10 月，位于热那亚 Portofino 灯塔附近的近岸海域——这对鳍鲸而言是相当罕见的出没地点。2019 年，Tethys 研究人员在利古里亚海岸 "Ponente" 海域再次确认她的存在，状态良好。

In the summer of 2010, Propeller resurfaced — by then her dorsal fin had collapsed to one side. Researchers reasoned this could be late-onset damage from the original injury, or the result of a second collision. Over the following years sightings drifted in from whale-watching operators and other vessels; one was logged in October near the Portofino lighthouse off Genoa — a notably unusual nearshore location for a fin whale. In 2019, Tethys researchers reconfirmed her presence off the Ligurian "Ponente" coast, in good condition.

2023 年 9 月的目击，是她迄今为止最完整的一次记录。

The September 2023 sighting is the most complete record of her to date.

Pelagos 保护区的航运威胁

Shipping Threats in the Pelagos Sanctuary

Pelagos 保护区横跨意大利、法国和摩纳哥之间的利古里亚海，面积约 87,500 平方公里，是地中海鳍鲸夏季最重要的觅食地，同时也是地中海乃至全球航运最密集的水域之一。

The Pelagos Sanctuary spans the Ligurian Sea between Italy, France and Monaco — roughly 87,500 km². It is the Mediterranean's most important summer feeding ground for fin whales, and simultaneously one of the most densely trafficked stretches of water in the Mediterranean, and indeed the world.

预测显示，未来地中海各主要航线的船舶流量将进一步大幅增加，而碰撞风险随船速提升而显著上升。Tethys 研究所多年来持续监测船撞威胁对 Pelagos 保护区鲸类的影响，并与多个研究机构合作，协助海岸警卫队开展预防和缓解工作。

Projections show that vessel traffic on the Mediterranean's main shipping routes will continue to grow substantially, while the risk of a fatal strike rises sharply with vessel speed. The Tethys Research Institute has monitored the impact of vessel strikes on cetaceans in the Pelagos Sanctuary for years, working with multiple research bodies and supporting the coast guard's prevention and mitigation efforts.

Propeller 是地中海鲸类韧性的象征，也是它们在人类活动压力下所承受困境的缩影。

Propeller is a symbol of the resilience of Mediterranean cetaceans — and a portrait, in a single body, of what they endure under the pressure of human activity.