17190
Open
Management and conservation actions for the Franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) in Brazil
Juliana Di Tullio, Paulo Ott, Salvatore Siciliano, Juan Pablo Florez, Camila Domit, Eduardo Secchi, Artur Andriolo, Pedro Fruet, Marta Cremer, Carolina Bertozzi, Milton Marcondes, Federico Sucunza, Isabel Gon??alves, Adriana Miranda, Alexandre Zerbini
International Whaling Commission
2020
SC/68B/CMP/05
The franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) inhabits the coastal waters of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, from southeast Brazil (18??25???S) to the north of Patagonia (42??10???S), Argentina (Secchi, 2014). This species is considered the most threatened small cetacean in South America and the incidental mortality in artisanal and industrial gillnet fisheries has been the major conservation concern (Secchi 2010). It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List (Zerbini et al. 2017) and as Critically Endangered in Brazil (Directive MMA 444/2014). Four ???Franciscana Management Areas??? (FMAs) are defined along its entire distribution range, three of which occurs in Brazil (Secchi et al. 2003, Cunha et al. 2014). The purpose of this paper is to review and summarize information about legal framework and measures taken towards the conservation of franciscana in Brazil.