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Biological parameters of franciscana dolphins, Pontoporia blainvillei, by-caught in artisanal fisheries off southern Buenos Aires, Argentina

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2014

María Fernanda Negri ,
María Victoria Panebianco ,
Pablo Denuncio ,
María Natalia Paso Viola ,
Diego Rodríguez  and
Humberto Luis Cappozzo
María Fernanda Negri*
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Ecología, Comportamiento y Mamíferos Marinos, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’ (CONICET), Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470 (C1405DJR), Buenos Aires, Argentina Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vida Silvestre, Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CONICET), Houssay 200 (V9410BFD), Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
María Victoria Panebianco
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Ecología, Comportamiento y Mamíferos Marinos, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’ (CONICET), Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470 (C1405DJR), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Pablo Denuncio
Affiliation:
Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (CONICET), Departamento de Ciencias Marinas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Casilla de Correo 43 (7600), Mar del Plata, Argentina
María Natalia Paso Viola
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Ecología, Comportamiento y Mamíferos Marinos, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’ (CONICET), Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470 (C1405DJR), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Diego Rodríguez
Affiliation:
Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, (CONICET), Departamento de Ciencias Marinas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Casilla de Correo 43 (7600), Mar del Plata, Argentina
Humberto Luis Cappozzo
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Ecología, Comportamiento y Mamíferos Marinos, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’ (CONICET), Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470 (C1405DJR), Buenos Aires, Argentina
*
Correspondence should be addressed to:M.F. Negri, Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vida Silvestre, Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC), Houssay 200 (V9410BFD), Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina email: mariafernandanegri@gmail.com
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Abstract

The franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) is a small coastal dolphin endemic to the south-western Atlantic Ocean. Incidental captures in fishing gillnets is possibly the greatest conservation concern for this species, and occurs within most of its geographical distribution. The aim of this paper is to determine the biological parameters of franciscana dolphin by-caught from artisanal coastal fisheries of the southern Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Between 2003 and 2009, carcasses of 54 incidentally captured franciscanas were collected. The age, sexual and physical maturity and body condition of each specimen was determined. The sex-ratio of the by-caught dolphins did not differ from parity and, consistent with other areas, juveniles younger than 4 yr old were captured in higher proportion (69%). In addition, 74% of the entangled animals were sexually immature and 85% physically immature. Sexually immature dolphins were predominant in the spring, a period which coincides with the breeding season. An assessment of the body condition of captured franciscanas suggests that entanglements were not associated with a disease or physiological disorder. The results presented here are important to assess the impact of artisanal fisheries on the population of franciscana dolphins in the southernmost area of its distribution.

Keywords

franciscana dolphinPontoporia blainvilleibiological parameterssexual maturityagebody conditionby-catch
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 96 , Issue 4: Marine Mammals , June 2016 , pp. 821 - 829
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

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