Are dolphins endangered? Dolphins, belonging to the family Delphinidae, face various threats that have led some species to be categorized as endangered. Understanding these threats and the conservation efforts in place is crucial for their protection.
Overview
In the family Delphinidae, we found a huge group of different species, in total 38. This species can be different with a range of sites from 1.8 meters to 9.8 meters.
These animals are marine mammals that belong to the group of Odontoceti, which is inside the group of cetaceans. The characteristics of Odontoceti are that they have teeth and only one blow hole (Jefferson et al. 2011).
Some species of dolphins and other cetaceans can be hunted by the resources that can provided. Hunting cetaceans started at 1100 and finished in the earlier 1900s. Also, climate change influences on species with more specific ecosystems (Parsons and Rose, 2022).
In the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species we found: 23 species in the least concern, 5 near threatened, 2 vulnerable, 3 endangered, 1 critical, 1 with no data deficient and 3 without category (IUCN, 2022).
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Endangered species
Endangered means by the IUCN criteria all those species that possess a very high risk of extinction because of rapid population declines.
This decline in the population must be 50 to 70 percent in the previous 10 years, then they get this category.
The species that are endangered are Cephalorhynchus hectori, Orcaella brevirostris and Sotalia fluviatilis. There is a species that is critically endangered, which is Sousa teuszi.
The most influential threat is the anthropogenic actions with their fishing activities and pollution of the ecosystems, these main reasons make the populations of this species decrease.
The nets of the fisherman kill many dolphins per year, and the species of dolphins that have a delicate ecosystem are more affected by pollution.
All these species have a small distribution area, coastal areas and some theme fresh water areas. That makes them more threat than other species with bigger distribution areas (IUCN, 2022).
Fishing
New technology has made fishing methods more effective, but also more damaging for the habitats, species targets and other species (Laxmappa & Bakshi, 2014).
Most of the dolphins that are killed by these activities happen by bycatch. This means that they are caught accidentally by the nets of the fisheries.
Dolphins detect nets, but they don’t recognize has a barrier, also they get entangled because they can be distracted by other activities.
They also get close to the nets because those nets are full of fish, so they approach to eat them, which makes them in danger (Bowles & Anderson, 2012).
To protect this group of hunting, each country has its own laws. So that way they are protected from the hunters.
Sometimes is difficult because of the culture of the countries, but governments try to give economic compensations to the fishers (Prieto, 2018).
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Ecosystem
Paragraph Some dolphins can be in two different systems: marine and fresh waters. This makes them live on ecosystems that are fragile.
Freshwater is more affected by anthropological actions because these are closer to the cities areas. Pollutants are released on the rivers, making them get polluted more easily than the oceans.
Salinity also is a condition for the survivor of these animals, so some of them rather to stay in areas near river mouths.
Because their distribution area is not so big, they have small population that makes them more vulnerable to the extinction.
Their habitats are more restricted because all the condition that they need to live. This condition can change fast with human activity.
So, if they change a lot, maybe someday these changes will be irreversible. If this happens, we will loss this species (IUCN, 2022).
Conclusion
As we see where environment is protected, we don’t find this endangered species or if they are endangered, they are starting to increase the population.
In Azores we protect cetaceans species and lucky for us we don’t found any specie of dolphins in danger of losing them.
If you want to know more about this animals, come to see them in their natural habitat where they belong!
References
- Bowles, A. E., & Anderson, R. C. (2012). Behavioral responses and habituation of pinnipeds and small cetaceans to novel objects and simulated fishing gear with and without a pinger. Aquatic Mammals, 38(2), 161.
- International Union of Conversation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species (2022). https://www.iucnredlist.org/es
- Jefferson, T. A., Webber, M. A., & Pitman, R. (2011). Marine mammals of the world: a comprehensive guide to their identification. Elsevier.
- Laxmappa, B., & Bakshi, R. R. (2014). Types of fishing gears operating and their impact on Krishna river fishery in Mahabubnagar district, TS India. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 2(1), 30-41.
- Parsons, E. C. M., & Rose, N. A. (2022). The history of cetacean hunting and changing attitudes to whales and dolphins. Ethology and behavioral ecology of marine mammals: the evolving human factor. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland, 219-254.
- Prieto, C. (2018). Breve análisis de la Ley 20.293 de Protección de los Cetáceos a 10 años de su entrada en vigencia. Justicia Ambiental.
