Long-term patterns of franciscana strandings throughout its distribution

Abstract

The franciscana dolphin is the most endangered cetacean species in theSouthwestern Atlantic Ocean (Secchi et al., 2001; Crespo, 2002). Its distributionextends from Espírito Santo State, Brazil (18°S), to the province ofChubut, Argentina (42°S) (Bastida et al., 2007). The incidental capture infishing nets is considered the main threat, putting at risk the survival of itspopulations (Secchi et al. 1997; Kinas, 2002; Secchi et al., 2003). For this reason,the species is listed as “Vulnerable” on a global scale (Zerbini et al., 2017).