The Franciscana (also known as La Plata River Dolphin) is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to fishing-related mortality at levels believed to be unsustainable. The expansion of gillnet fisheries within the species’ home range is predicted to accelerate the population's decline.
The Franciscana CMP was adopted by the IWC in 2016, and was the first CMP endorsed for a small cetacean species. Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are signatories to the CMP and Argentina was appointed co-ordinator in 2017. The overall aim of the CMP is to protect Franciscana habitat and minimise anthropogenic threats, particularly by-catch.
Progress to date
Progress to date includes the appointment of a Co-ordinator and Steering Committee, and the implementation of actions to reduce bycatch, and research on population structure and acoustics. A co-ordination meeting was held in June 2018 to determine priority actions to progress under the CMP.
Click here to read about a research programme, supported by the IWC Small Cetaceans Voluntary Fund, which is working to improve abundance estimates for Franciscana, in order to guide conservation actions.
Priority work areas
Priority actions for the CMP during the 2018-20 intersessional period include: