Conservation of the tucuxi

Conservation status:

Sotalia fluviatilis is listed in Appendices I & II of CITES and in Appendix II of Convention on Migratory Species. The species is listed as “Data Deficient” by the IUCN.

The IWC sub-committee (2000) recommended:

that research should be directed towards detecting trends in abundance by making repeatable and statistically rigorous estimates of density in a range of regions and habitats,
that information be collected to allow evaluation of the relative levels of incidental mortality of the tucuxi associated with different fishing methods,
that research be directed to determine which form of tucuxis occur in areas such as the Orinoco and Amazon estuaries.

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Page author: Stefan Austermühle

Threats to the Tucuxis survival:

Direct catches:

There are no records of past or recent commercial fisheries for Sotalia. The freshwater dolphins have been protected by the superstitions of fishermen from Colombia to southern Brazil as well as in the Amazon. On the coast of Brazil Sotalia may occasionally be killed for use as bait for sharks or shrimp traps or for human consumption, although the extent of this practice is unknown. There is also a small market for the eyes and genital organs, which are used as love charms when prepared in a special manner.

Incidental catches:

Modern fishing practices and the greatly increased intensity of fishing in both the marine and freshwater habitats of this dolphin are the greatest direct threats to the species. Sotalia is easily captured in monofilament gill nets as well as in shrimp and fish traps and seine nets. Analysis of the type of fishing gear associated with the mortality of 34 Sotalia from the central Amazon revealed that 74% were caught in gill nets and 15% in seine nets. Sotalia apparently do not steal fish from nets as do Inia in the Amazon but, as they consume 14 of the 30 species of fish most exploited by man in the Amazon, incidental captures during fishing are frequent.

In Atafona (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil) Sotalia are the dolphins most frequently caught incidentally in fisheries. Beltran (1998, in IWC, 2000) recorded 938 animals taken in drift nets from the port of Arapiranga during the summer of 1996 and a further 125 taken during the winter. These data were collected by interviewing fishermen in the port after trips and collecting carcasses. The animals were generally large and may therefore have been the marine form, but this has not yet been confirmed. The IWC sub-committee expressed its concern about the magnitude of these catches.

Overfishing:

As the fishing activities in the mason increases overfishing takes place in many rivers. The lack of food may have negative impacts on the survival of Sotalias. Mundo Azul plans to investigate the densities of Sotalias in rivers with different fishing levels in order estimate the level of threat for dolphins.

Habitat degradation:

Another potential threat to Sotalia, in both riverine and coastal environments, is the damming of rivers for hydroelectric projects, with future plans for up to 200 such dams in series along many of the main Amazon tributaries. At the very least, such dams would interrupt gene flow between Sotalia populations, creating isolated groups between dams. Furthermore, most of the migratory fish on which Sotalia feed would become extinct in the reservoirs, and the potential suitability of non-migratory fish for the diet of Sotalia is unknown.

Pollution:

Pollution from industrial, mining and agricultural activities may be considered a threat both directly, through the destruction of habitat, or indirectly, through contamination of the food chain. Large harbours like the Baia de Guanabara (Rio de Janiero) and Santos (São Paulo) are extremely polluted with effluent, including heavy metals, posing a serious potential threat. The continued use of insecticides containing substances banned elsewhere is common in South America. Mercury is used in the refining of fluvial gold and then, like the pesticides, probably enters the aquatic food chain of the rivers. Mercury and selenium were found in the livers of two Sotalia from Suriname. Exploration for oil in the offshore regions of Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia may not pose a direct threat to Sotalia. Nevertheless, the apparent dependence of this dolphin on estuaries means that an oil spill near such an area could contaminate the food chain and affect local populations.

Whale watching and conservation initiatives:

Whale and dolphin watching offers an economic alternative to whaling and support species conservation. Whale watching tours are also offering research opportunities. Support species conservation and research, while enjoying whales and dolphins in Peru with Nature Expeditions.

Become a dolphin conservation volunteer and support the conservation and research programs of Mundo Azul.

What we do to stop the dolphin slaughter in Peru:

According to our estimate up to 3000 dolphins are killed each year illegally in Peru for human consumption. In 2002 Mundo Azul started investigating the Peruvian black market on illegally caught dolphin meat. The dolphin meat is regularly landed at night on beaches near the ports in order to avoid the controls of harbor officials. At this point, the meat is already cut into small pieces and hidden in boxes, while heads, flukes, bones and intestines have been thrown over board before or while entering the harbor. The meat is then openly sold on local markets. Read more.

Mundo Azuls volunteers are engaged in undercover investigation of illegal sales of dolphin meat. We are then providing the collected intelligence to the Peruvian police and are actively supporting the implementation of police raids. We are also supporting the Peruvian police thru capacity building. Raising public awareness and environmental education are further activities of our dolphin conservation campaign. We are engaged in dolphin research providing us with important baseline information for conservation planning. Finally we are promoting whale and dolphin watching as a sustainable economic alternative to illegal dolphin killing.

We are also active on an international level against dolphin killing in Japan and dolphin killing on the Faroe islands, dolphin captivity and whaling.

Stay in touch with Mundo Azul! Sign up to our google group “Mundo Azul International” and receive news about our work and nature conservation in Peru, Web site updates, action alerts, suggestions on how you can participate or help, volunteer opportunities, internship and job openings and much more.

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Page author: Stefan Austermühle

What you can do to stop the dolphin slaughter in Peru

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