Mediterranean marine life flourished during lockdown - Italian coastguard

A pod of sperm whales are seen swimming off the Sicilian coast of Milazzo as the Italian Coast Guard carry out a study on the health of Italy's seas and improvements to marine life due to a lack of human activities during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown, in this still picture taken from video, June 29, 2020. Carmelo Isgro - MuMa Museo del Mare di Milazzo/Handout via REUTERS

LAZIO, Italy (Reuters) - Marine life in the Mediterranean off Italy flourished during the coronavirus lockdown as water quality improved and species moved into spaces vacated by people and ships, the Italian coastguard has found.

The strict rules halting business and movement for two months offered an unprecedented opportunity to monitor the impact of human activity on the sea that surrounds Italy.