Experience
In 2000, the founding members were associate researchers at CIBRA – Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioacoustics and Environmental Research at the University of Pavia.
Our personal interest in underwater bioacoustics began in 1994, when CIBRA at the University of Pavia received funding to study new methods of acoustic census of marine mammals in the Mediterranean Sea. The co-founders of Nauta were hired to participate in those cruises and were involved from the very beginning of CIBRA’s research.
Over the last 25 years, we have worked for a large number of Italian and international universities and research centres in the field of environmental impact assessments for the oil and gas industry, as well as for many groups working on renewable energy sources (mainly offshore wind, but also cable laying and infrastructure).
We have participated in oceanographic cruises on several large ships (R/V Alliance – NATO, R/V Endeavor – Rhode Island University, N/I Galatea and N/I Magnaghi – Italian Navy, R/V Leonardo – NATO) and in many smaller operations, dealing with underwater bioacoustics, census and acoustic location of marine mammals, mitigation procedures and environmental monitoring.
Developing the practical aspects of this topic, we have also worked on passive acoustic mitigation procedures necessary to minimise the impact of underwater noise on living organisms.
NAUTA has, for example, conducted a project in Lampedusa, a small island south of Sicily, funded by the European Commission as a LIFE DelTa (Protected Dolphins and Turtles) project. For this project, we designed new instruments (RASP – our first seabed recorder) to acoustically estimate the presence and activity of cetaceans and their interaction with the fishing industry. This recorder has subsequently been adopted in other projects. The Tursionet project and the subsequent CLAPS project are the latest on which we are working.
We import and distribute several brands of underwater acoustic sensors and other equipment for monitoring marine life underwater in Europe.
We are suppliers of underwater bioacoustic monitoring solutions, offering instruments and complete operations at sea, from surveys to the delivery of reports.
Our partners and customers include: Greenpeace UK (a pair of two-element towed hydrophone arrays for their ship Esperanza), Fundacio CRAM Spain (three-element towed hydrophone array), SonSub UK (acoustic sensors for their deep ROV), STARESO France (underwater acoustic sensors), Galatee Film France (underwater acoustic sensors used to locate whales in their film Oceans), Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (underwater acoustic sensors), Humboldt University Berlin Germany (customised underwater acoustic sensors), IFM GeoMar Germany (customised underwater acoustic sensors), various departments of the French CNRS (customised underwater acoustic sensors), NOAA National Ocean Service CCEHBR – USA (RASPs – underwater acoustic recorders), ISPRA – Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Pelagos Initiative (Tursionet and CLAPS projects), University of Milan Bicocca, CIMA Foundation and others.
Our current main focus is anthropogenic underwater noise. We conduct surveys of background noise levels and construction noise levels, mainly in relation to offshore wind farm sites.