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SC/69B/E/10
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Resource ID
22072
Access
Open
Document Number
SC/69B/E/10
Full Title
A Review of Recent Cetacean Stranding Records in The United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Author
Ada Natoli, Fadi Yagmour, Robert Brownell, Koen Van Waerebeek
Authors Summary
This study presents the first comprehensive effort to systematically document and assess cetacean stranding events occurred over the past two decades in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A dataset comprising 125 stranding incidents was compiled utilising various sources, and the associated evidence was independently examined to confirm basic biological parameters such as species, age, and sex, and to attempt to infer possible cause of death.
Among these events, 96% involved deceased animals, all of which were single individuals and 4% alive animals.
A total of 27 Mysticetes and 95 Odontocetes were recorded and in 87.2% of the cases the photographic material allowed a comprehensive evaluation of the event and genus/species identification.
The majority (88%) of strandings occurred in the Arabian/Persian Gulf, with only 12% reported along the Arabian Sea coastline.
Most of the baleen whales strandings were identified as Bryde?s whales or possible Bryde?s whales, whereas Tursiops sp. Was the most common genus identified among Odontocetes. Rare species such as the dwarf sperm whale (for the first time reported in the Gulf) and the Arabian Sea humpback whale were also confirmed.
Seventy percent of the mortality events were evaluated at a decomposition stage of ?4-5? highlighting the fact that most of them were only found a long time after the event occurred.
A seasonal analysis suggested a higher incidence of strandings in the months of November and February.
A temporal analysis, since the date of the first event, suggests a concerning increasing trend in cetacean mortalities in UAE particularly among baleen whales, and stresses the need to gather more detailed information about the occurrence, habitat use and population status of these species in the Gulf.
Publisher
IWC
Publication Year
2024