[MARMAM] Large Sotalia by-catch off northern Brazil

[Salvatore Siciliano]

Dear Marmaners,

We have just concluded a one-year monitoring program for incidental catches 
of small dolphins in the gillnet fishery operating off northern Brazil.
Since August 2006, a total of 11 field trips were monitored onboard a fishing 
vessel operating off the coast of Amapa' State. The main target are 'pescada-
amarela' and 'gurijuba', higly prized in the fish markets of Brazil. It was 
detected a large by-catch of dolphins, all of them Sotalia.
Molecular analysis of a large sample set of Sotalia specimens were conducted 
at Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All specimens were identified as S. 
guianensis.
Numbers of dolphins found entangled varied from one to 83 in a single boat 
operating off the northern Brazilian coast.
We kindly request suggestions of measures to reduce such alarming by-catch 
mortality of Sotalia in the northern Brazilian fishery.

Thanks,

Salvatore Siciliano, Renata Emin-Lima, Angelica Rodrigues, Alexandra Costa 
and Thais Sholl
Grupo de Estudos de Mamiferos Aquaticos da Amazonia


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ENSP - Fiocruz