The Franciscana Dolphin On the Edge of Survival

About this book

The Franciscana Dolphin: On the Edge of Survival provides the most updated and comprehensive knowledge on the most endangered marine mammal in the Western South Atlantic Ocean. It synthesizes all available information on this dolphin species, also referred to as La Plata dolphin, ranging from taxonomy, evolution, diet, parasites and diseases, reproduction and growth, to genetic diversity and stock definition, distribution, abundance, behavior, as well as the threats and causes behind the dwindling population numbers. Written by international experts, this book explores aspects of the species' natural history and urgent problems of accidental mortality in fishing nets, contamination and habitat loss. The book provides alternatives to rehabilitate this species and includes proposals for marine protected areas, public policies and international agreements aimed at joint conservation efforts. It is an important resource for researchers and practitioners in marine conservation, marine biology and zoology, particularly those who seek to gain the most reputable information on vulnerable marine mammal species for conservation efforts.

Contents

Introduction: A vulnerable species
1. Taxonomic and evolutionary history
2. Diet, stomach contents and isotopic niche
3. Parasites
4. Pathologies and diseases
5. Reproduction and growth
6. Genetic diversity, population and stock definition
7. Abundance estimates and distribution
8. Behavior and movement patterns
9. Acoustical repertoire
10. Bycatch at the Franciscan Dolphin
11. Contamination levels at the Franciscan Dolphin
12. Coastal development and habitat loss
13. Stranding and mortality
14. Rehabilitation of stranded specimens
15. The potential use of “pingers”: restrictions on fishing grounds and other solutions
16. Alternative fishing methods
17. Artisanal and industrial fishing communities’ characteristics
18. Ethnoecological approaches and fishermen perception
19. Marine protected areas: their potential for the conservation of the species
20. National and international agreements and public politics

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Biography

Paulo Simões-Lopes received has a PhD in Zoology from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul. He has published more than 130 scientific articles in journals and specialized book chapters, in addition to four books. Dr Simões-Lopes has experience in the zoology of marine mammals, with an emphasis on morphology and skeletal biomechanics, comparative anatomy, population and behaviour ecology, and systematics of cetaceans and pinnipeds.

Marta Cremer received her PhD in Zoology from the Federal University of Paraná. She has published more than 90 scientific journal articles, book chapters, as well as four books. Her areas of expertise include animal ecology, specializing in bioacoustics, behaviour, population and biological parameters of cetaceans, as well as public policies and conservation biology.