Our dolphin project - the La Plata dolphin or Franciscana toninha (Pontoporia blainvillei) is one of the smallest dolphin species and lives exclusively in the coastal waters of south-eastern South America. It is highly endangered and is now the most threatened dolphin species in South America. The main threat is fishing: thousands of animals die in drift and gillnets every year.
YAQU PACHA has been supporting the implementation of population studies with this dolphin project since 1996. The aim of these studies is to determine the total population. The only method for this is flight counting. Special aircraft are used to fly very low to spot and count the animals.
Another task of the researchers is to determine the bycatch quota. This data can be obtained thanks to observers on board fishing vessels. So far, four different "management areas" have been established. Each area is home to animals that belong together genetically and whose conservation priorities are classified differently due to the dangers to which the animals are exposed in the respective areas.
In addition to the flight counts carried out in Uruguay in March and April 2023, YAQU PACHA is also working on the La Plata Dolphin project to establish pinger systems and objects, such as plastic bottles in the fishing nets, so that they can be recognized and avoided by the dolphins.
Consórcio Franciscana
In 2012, with the support of YAQU PACHA, the Consórcio Franciscana was brought to life.
The task of the Consórcio Franciscana is to promote the protection of the La Plata dolphin - Franciscana - Toninha and its habitat through international cooperation between research groups from Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, as well as to publish and exchange research results.
YAQU PACHA e.V. supports these conservation activities and coordinates important projects of the consortium.
> Website of the Consórcio Franciscana
Many thanks to the following companies and institutions who have supported us in setting up the Consórcio Franciscana website:
Bauer Compressors, Beluga, Lagona Divers, iQ Company, Mares, Marion Diving Suits, Mariscope, Quality Divers, Schöner Tauchen, Scubapro, Seacam, Sinai Divers, Subal, Sub Aqua, Taucher.Net
Furthermore, our species conservation organization YAQU PACHA, together with our partners such as CRAM FURG in Brazil, is working on site to rescue and care for stranded La Plata dolphins - Toninhas, and considerable sums of money are also needed for this work.
You can support us in the rescue and rehabilitation of the La Plata dolphins - Franciscana.
Ethnobiology of the franciscana dolphin - Toninha(Pontoporia blainvillei) and traditional knowledge of artisanal fishermen in Brazil
Ethnobiology is a field of environmental science that encompasses the traditional knowledge of communities, their relationship with the environment and their various cultural and spiritual expressions. Ethnobiological studies involving fishing communities are important because the daily contact of local fishermen with dolphins can help to monitor fishing activities and their impact on these animals. In this sense, these studies, which assess fishermen's perceptions of the La Plata dolphin - Toninha or Franciscana, seek to understand how fishing communities perceive these animals and how artisanal fishing affects the conservation of populations of this species.
In this research and environmental education project, researchers from our partners ECOLOGIA HUMANA DO OCEANO identify the traditional knowledge of the interactions between La Plata dolphin - Franciscana - Toninha and fisheries in 10 fishing communities along the Brazilian coastal waters from the northern limit of the species' range in the state of Espírito Santo to the Paranaguá area in the state of Paraná, Brazil (FMA areas Ia, Ib and IIa). The aim of the project is therefore to describe and compare the traditional knowledge of artisanal fishermen in the South Atlantic, which covers the species' range, in order to assess the species' interactions with artisanal fisheries. To obtain this information, ethnographic interviews will be conducted with the artisanal fishers using an ethnographic questionnaire containing open and closed questions, and the entire fishing day will be recorded.
The integration of data obtained empirically from local stakeholders and using scientific methods is crucial for the conservation of La Plata dolphins - Toninhas, as both sources provide relevant and complementary information for the management of fishing activities in the species' distribution areas. This data allows us to carry out environmental awareness actions together with stakeholders from fishing communities. The website of our partners ECOLOGIA HUMANA DO OCEANO and their YouTube channel, as well as activities in public schools in the state of Espírito Santo in south-eastern Brazil, promote knowledge about the sea.
YAQU PACHA has been working with our Latin America team for 30 years to protect endangered species in South America. You can support us with a donation or membership to help us protect the La Plata dolphin.
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