The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise is in the Mediterranean to document threats to the sea and to campaign for a global network of fully protected marine reserves covering 40% of our oceans as an essential way to protect our seas from the ravages of climate change, to restore the health of fish stocks, and protect ocean life from habitat destruction and collapse. The activities included the documentation of fin whales and dolphins in the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals, a Marine Protected Area aimed at the protection of marine mammals. It covers an area of approximately 84,000 km², comprising the waters between the French Riviera, western Sardinia, eastern Sardinia and Tuscany. The sanctuary is located in the Ligurian basin of the Mediterranean Sea. In this area all the cetaceans occurring in the Mediterranean can be found at regular intervals. It is believed to be the main feeding ground for Fin Whales in the Mediterranean basin.
In addition actions were carried out in the Bonifacio Strait to draw attention to all dangerous cargo shipments of toxic substances as a first step towards creating a marine reserve.