Franciscana strandings on the north coast of Santa Catarina State and insights into birth period

Marta Jussara Cremer,Renan Lopes Paitach,Ana Kássia Moraes Alves,Camila Meirelles Sartori,Beatriz Schulze,Natacha Zimmermann Santos,Annelise Colin Holz

doi:10.5007/2175-7925.2013v26n4p133

Marta Jussara Cremer, Renan Lopes Paitach + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2013v26n4p133

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Journal: Biotemas	Publication Date: Aug 9, 2013
Citations: 15	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Universidade da Região de Joinville

Abstract

Franciscana, Pontoporia blainvillei , is the most threatened small cetacean in the South Atlantic. Accidental captures in fishing nets is the main problem for this species throughout its distribution. Dead franciscanas found along the coast are an important source of information. This work aimed to analyze the records of dead franciscanas found on the northern coast of Santa Catarina, including Babitonga Bay. Between January 2001 and November 2012, 54 franciscana carcasses were recorded, with the highest number (8 individuals) in 2011. Fifty-four percent (n=28) of the carcasses were recorded between August and October. Taking into account that this information was not obtained from a systematic effort, it was not possible to consider this as an estimation of mortality. The largest animal was a female, with a total length of 142 cm. Ten recovered animals (18.5%) were smaller than 80 cm, and were considered fetuses or calves. These records indicate that the main birthing period for franciscanas in Santa Catarina is between October and January. The findings presented here contribute to our knowledge of franciscana ecology in the state of Santa Catarina.

Highlights

The franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) inhabits the coastal waters of the Western South Atlantic, from Itaúnas, Espírito Santo, Brazil (18o25’S) (MOREIRA; SICILIANO, 1991) to Baia de San Antonio, northern Patagonia, Argentina (42o35’S) (CRESPO et al, 1998)
The findings presented here contribute to our knowledge of franciscana ecology in the state of Santa Catarina
Four management areas were defined for the species, referred to as Franciscana Management Areas (FMAs), considering biological information (SECCHI et al, 2003)

Summary

Introduction

The franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) inhabits the coastal waters of the Western South Atlantic, from Itaúnas, Espírito Santo, Brazil (18o25’S) (MOREIRA; SICILIANO, 1991) to Baia de San Antonio, northern Patagonia, Argentina (42o35’S) (CRESPO et al, 1998). Four management areas were defined for the species, referred to as Franciscana Management Areas (FMAs), considering biological information (SECCHI et al, 2003). Santa Catarina State is included in FMA III, which includes Paraná and São Paulo states, in southeastern Brazil. Hundreds of franciscana dolphins die each year as a consequence of getting entangled in gillnets. This problem led to the recognition of these animals as an endangered species (MMA, 2003; REEVES et al, 2008)

Objectives

Findings

Methods