The São Paulo institute for the protection of marine life Gremar, through the Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Project, recorded 15 deaths of dolphins of the species in two weeks. Pontoporia blainvillei, popularly called porpoises.
The animals were found between the municipalities of São Vicente and Bertioga, on the coast of São Paulo, from September 30 to October 15. The number is considered high and worrying by researchers.
The porpoise is one of the smallest dolphin species in the world, occurring only in South America and is critically endangered. According to the official list of endangered species of Brazilian fauna, released by the Ministry of the Environment, the porpoise is the most threatened variety of dolphin in the country.
Females only have one calf every one or two years and gestation lasts approximately 11 months, which is considered a long period when it comes to recovering populations.
Of the specimens found dead, seven were pups or juveniles and eight were adults. Among the adults, seven of them were females and two were pregnant.
Gremar states that spring is the breeding season for the species and, during this period, the number of strandings tends to increase. However, despite the context linked to reproduction, the situation of porpoises has been more worrying.
“One of the main threats to these animals is accidental capture in fishing nets. Of the 15 porpoises found by Gremar, for example, six of them had evident interactions with these artifacts. In one of them, which ran aground last Saturday (15), at Praia do Iporanga, in Guarujá, the gear was found next to the animal’s body, attached to its face”, says the institute.
Other problems have also drastically affected the survival of the species, says Gremar, such as marine pollution and overfishing, which reduces the availability of food for the local fauna.
“In addition, there is noise pollution caused by intense port activity, whose noise in the aquatic environment compromises their communication system, leading these animals, in some cases, to abandon important areas”, completes the São Paulo institute.
With support from Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), the Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Project assesses possible impacts of oil production and flow activities on birds, turtles and marine mammals. The program monitors beaches and provides veterinary care for live animals and necropsies of animals found dead.
The project is carried out from Laguna, in Santa Catarina, to Saquarema, in Rio de Janeiro, and is divided into 15 sections. The Gremar institute monitors stretch 9, between São Vicente and Bertioga.
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