Incidental catches of small cetaceans in the artisanal fisheries of Ecuador

The estimated total catch for the entire Santa Rosa fleet is 1150 (CI 95% 874-1426) dolphins/yr and that for the entire Puerto Lopez fleet is 156 (CI 95% 99-213). If the results are extrapolated to two similar ports nearby the estimated total bycatch is 3741 (CI 95% 2784-4698) dolphins caught in 1993. If similar capture rates apply to the rest of the country, the total national bycatch would be 2-3 times higher. By far the most frequently captured species was the common dolphin Delphinus delphis (86%) followed by the short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorrhychus(9%). -from Authors