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Principal Investigator: Joanna Alfaro Shigueto

Funding year: 2022

Main objectives:

  • Design and trial boat-based visual and passive acoustic survey methods suitable to determine distribution and abundance of Burmeister’s porpoises in open coast shelf-waters.
  • Determine distribution and abundance of Burmeister’s porpoises and sympatric delphinids (e.g. dusky dolphins) in two pilot survey areas that represent different environmental characteristics.
  • Assess the range and intensity of anthropogenic threats to small cetaceans in the two pilot study areas during the at-sea surveys.
  • Complement at-sea data collection on the distribution of and threats to the focal species with fishers’ local knowledge by conducting interview-based surveys in relevant fishing communities.
  • Build regional capacity in survey techniques relevant to cost-effective, regionally appropriate monitoring of the population status of Burmeister’s porpoises including development of a Spanish language best practice guide for small cetacean monitoring.
  • Enhance awareness of the general public and relevant stakeholders (fishermen, government agencies, local universities) of Burmeister’s porpoises (and other small cetacean species) and their conservation needs.

Main outcomes:
To follow.

Reports/Papers:
Report to follow.