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García-Cegarra AM, Hall A, Martínez-López E. Bycatch and pollution are the main threats for Burmeister's porpoises inhabiting a high-industrialized bay in the Humboldt Current System. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 251:118621. [PMID: 38492834 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Pollution and bycatch are two of the main threats for cetaceans worldwide. These threats are exacerbated for nearshore species particularly for those in regions with intense industrial and fishing activities. Burmeister's porpoise is endemic to South America, has a Near Threatened conservation status because of long-term mortality in fisheries. Burmeister's porpoise occur in Mejillones Bay, northern Chile, a hot spot for heavy metals pollution from the mining industry and an intense industrial and artisanal purse-seine fishing area. From 2018 to 2021, we conducted systematic marine surveys to assess the abundance, distribution and habitat use of Burmeister's porpoises. We responded to stranding reports from 2018 to 2022, and necropsied nine individuals. From five of these, we analyzed the metal concentrations (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Se and Zn) in muscle and skin tissues. Results showed an abundance of 76.17 individuals (CV = 25.9%) and an average density of 0.45 individuals/km2 (CV = 26%). Burmeister's porpoises were observed year round, 22.2% were mother-calf pairs present in austral summer at an average of 90.6 m depth in the southwestern bound of the bay. Two-thirds of stranded specimens died due to bycatch and one died due to bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) attack. We report a dead Burmeister's porpoise positive for avian flu virus A (H5N1). Metals analyzed were found in muscle and skin tissues of stranded Burmeister's porpoises in the following order (Zn > Cu > Cr > As > Hg > Pb > Cd). Although we could not assess pollution as a cause of mortality, Cr, As and Pb concentrations exceeded the concentrations found in other porpoises species worldwide. We conclude that bycatch and pollution as the main threats for Burmeister's porpoise survival in northern Chile. Future studies should investigate the use of acoustic deterrent alarms to mitigate the bycatch in the bay and consider the Burmeister's porpoise as a sentinel species of pollution in northern Chilean coast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M García-Cegarra
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, 1240000, Antofagasta, Chile; CETALAB, Laboratorio de Estudio de Megafauna Marina, 1240000, Antofagasta, Chile.
| | - Anna Hall
- Porpoise Conservation Society, British Columbia (S-63931), Canada; Sea View Marine Sciences, Victoria, V9C 4C5, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Emma Martínez-López
- Area of Toxicology, Oceanosphera group. Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain; Toxicology and Risk Assessment Group, Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
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Araujo SCDE, Beneditto APMDI, Gatts CEN, Moreira SC, Domit C, Gama RM, Martins AS, Zappes CA. Local ecological knowledge of fishers from southern and southeastern Brazil about the franciscana dolphin Pontoporia blainvillei: Strategies for conservation. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2023; 95:e20201111. [PMID: 37222356 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202320201111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023] Open
Abstract
This study compares local ecological knowledge (LEK) of fishers from the Southwest Atlantic Ocean (SWAO), Brazil, related to the franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei). We conducted 330 ethnographic interviews in ten fishing communities in southern and southeastern Brazil between 2012 and 2018. Boolean or Classic Logic was used to identify 95 fishers who were able to recognize the franciscana dolphin accordingly to the taxonomic entity P. blainvillei: 23 in northern Espírito Santo state, one in southern Espírito Santo, 20 in northern Rio de Janeiro state, and 51 in northern Paraná state. Among these 95 fishers, 87.4% (n = 83) reported incidental captures in fishing nets. Among these, 52 (54.7%) did not know any solution to this problem. Interviews revealed that the fishers usually discard carcasses in the sea after fat and muscle tissue are removed so that they can be used as bait for shark fishing or as food. In Southeastern Brazil, fishers LEK related to their ability to identify franciscana dolphin varied from 'no identification' and 'extremely low identification' to 'partial' and 'good identification,' while in southern Brazil, fishers mainly presented a 'good identification' of the dolphins. We propose comanagement actions to conserve the franciscana dolphin in the SWAO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samanta C DE Araujo
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, 29075-900 Vitória, ES, Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Grupo de Pesquisa Ecologia Humana do Oceano, Laboratório de Oceanografia Socioambiental, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, 29075-910 Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula M DI Beneditto
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Parque Califórnia, 28013-602 Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Grupo de Pesquisa Ecologia Humana do Oceano, Laboratório de Oceanografia Socioambiental, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, 29075-910 Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Carlos Eduardo N Gatts
- Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Centro de Ciência e Tecnologia, Laboratório de Ciências Físicas, Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Parque Califórnia, Campos dos Goytacazes, 28013-602 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Sérgio C Moreira
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Laboratório de Bioacústica e Ecologia de Cetáceos, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Ilha do Fundão, 21941-590 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Grupo de Pesquisa Ecologia Humana do Oceano, Laboratório de Oceanografia Socioambiental, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, 29075-910 Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Camila Domit
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Centro de Estudos do Mar, Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação, Av. Beira Mar, s/n, Caixa Postal 6, 83255-000 Pontal do Sul, Paraná, Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Grupo de Pesquisa Ecologia Humana do Oceano, Laboratório de Oceanografia Socioambiental, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, 29075-910 Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Renata M Gama
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Grupo de Pesquisa Ecologia Humana do Oceano, Laboratório de Oceanografia Socioambiental, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, 29075-910 Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Agnaldo S Martins
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, 29075-900 Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - Camilah A Zappes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Oceanografia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, 29075-900 Vitória, ES, Brazil
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Grupo de Pesquisa Ecologia Humana do Oceano, Laboratório de Oceanografia Socioambiental, Av. Fernando Ferrari, 514, 29075-910 Vitória, ES, Brazil
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Cook P, Hawes JE, Campos-Silva JV, Peres CA. Human-wildlife conflicts with crocodilians, cetaceans and otters in the tropics and subtropics. PeerJ 2022; 9:e12688. [PMID: 35036162 PMCID: PMC8740516 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Conservation of freshwater biodiversity and management of human-wildlife conflicts are major conservation challenges globally. Human-wildlife conflict occurs due to attacks on people, depredation of fisheries, damage to fishing equipment and entanglement in nets. Here we review the current literature on conflicts with tropical and subtropical crocodilians, cetaceans and otters in freshwater and brackish habitats. We also present a new multispecies case study of conflicts with four freshwater predators in the Western Amazon: black caiman (Melanosuchus niger), giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), boto (Inia geoffrensis) and tucuxi (Sotalia fluviatilis). Documented conflicts occur with 34 crocodilian, cetacean and otter species. Of the species reviewed in this study, 37.5% had conflicts frequently documented in the literature, with the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) the most studied species. We found conflict severity had a positive relationship with species body mass, and a negative relationship with IUCN Red List status. In the Amazonian case study, we found that the black caiman was ranked as the greatest ‘problem’ followed by the boto, giant otter and tucuxi. There was a significant difference between the responses of local fishers when each of the four species were found entangled in nets. We make recommendations for future research, based on the findings of the review and Amazon case study, including the need to standardise data collection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Cook
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom.,Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph E Hawes
- Applied Ecology Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.,Instituto Juruá, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - João Vitor Campos-Silva
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.,Instituto Juruá, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.,Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil.,Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Carlos A Peres
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom.,Instituto Juruá, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
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Mangel JC, Wang J, Alfaro-Shigueto J, Pingo S, Jimenez A, Carvalho F, Swimmer Y, Godley BJ. Illuminating gillnets to save seabirds and the potential for multi-taxa bycatch mitigation. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:180254. [PMID: 30109081 PMCID: PMC6083706 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Bycatch in net fisheries is recognized as a major source of mortality for many marine species, including seabirds. Few mitigation solutions, however, have been identified. We assessed the effectiveness of illuminating fishing nets with green light emitting diodes (LEDs) to reduce the incidental capture of seabirds. Experiments were conducted in the demersal, set gillnet fishery of Constante, Peru and compared 114 pairs of control and illuminated nets. We observed captures of a total of 45 guanay cormorants (Phalacrocorax bougainvillii), with 39 caught in control nets and six caught in illuminated nets. Seabird bycatch in terms of catch-per-unit-effort was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in control nets than in illuminated nets, representing an 85.1% decline in the cormorant bycatch rate. This study, showing that net illumination reduces seabird bycatch and previous studies showing reductions in sea turtle bycatch without reducing target catch, indicates that net illumination can be an effective multi-taxa bycatch mitigation technique. This finding has broad implications for bycatch mitigation in net fisheries given LED technology's relatively low cost, the global ubiquity of net fisheries and the current paucity of bycatch mitigation solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey C. Mangel
- ProDelphinus, Jose Galvez 780-E, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - John Wang
- NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA
| | - Joanna Alfaro-Shigueto
- ProDelphinus, Jose Galvez 780-E, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
- Facultad de Biologia Marina, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Panamericana Sur Km 19, Villa, Lima, Peru
| | - Sergio Pingo
- ProDelphinus, Jose Galvez 780-E, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
| | - Astrid Jimenez
- ProDelphinus, Jose Galvez 780-E, Miraflores, Lima 18, Peru
| | - Felipe Carvalho
- NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA
| | - Yonat Swimmer
- NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA
| | - Brendan J. Godley
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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