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 southeastern South America. It is highly endangered and is now the most threatened dolphin species in South America. The main danger is fishing: thousands of animals die every year in drift nets and gillnets.
YAQU PACHA has been supporting population studies with this dolphin project since 1996. The aim of these studies is to determine the total population. The only method for doing this is aerial counting. Special aircraft are used for this purpose, flying very low to spot and count the animals.
Another task for researchers is to determine the bycatch rate. This data can be obtained thanks to observers on board fishing vessels. Four different "management areas" have been established so far. Each area is home to animals that belong together genetically and whose protection priorities must be classified differently based on 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 Delfin project to establish pinger systems and objects, such as plastic bottles in fishing nets, so that they can be recognized and avoided by dolphins.
Franciscana Consortium
In 2012, with the support of YAQU PACHA, the Consórcio Franciscana was founded.
The mission of 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 findings.
YAQU PACHA e.V. supports these species conservation activities and coordinates important projects of the consortium.
> Consórcio Franciscana website
Many thanks to the following companies and institutions that 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 locally to rescue and care for stranded La Plata dolphins – Toninhas – and this work also requires considerable financial resources.
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 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 partner ECOLOGIA HUMANA DO OCEANO are investigating traditional knowledge about the interactions between La Plata dolphins (Franciscana) – Toninha dolphins and fishing in 10 fishing communities along the Brazilian coastal waters from the northern border 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 interactions between the species and artisanal fisheries. To obtain this information, ethnographic interviews are conducted with artisanal fishers using an ethnographic questionnaire containing open and closed questions, and the entire daily fishing routine is recorded.
The integration of data obtained empirically by local actors and using scientific methods is crucial for the protection of La Plata dolphins – Toninhas, as both sources provide relevant and complementary information for the management of fishing activities in the species' distribution areas. Using this data, we can work with stakeholders from fishing communities to carry out environmental awareness campaigns. Knowledge about the sea is promoted through the website of our partners ECOLOGIA HUMANA DO OCEANO and their YouTube channel, as well as through activities in public schools in the state of Espírito Santo in southeastern Brazil.
YAQU PACHA has been working with our Latin America team for 30 years to protect endangered species in South America. You can support us by making a donation or membership to support the protection of the La Plata dolphin.
Manatee Project | Seal Project | Amazon River Dolphin Project | Bottlenose Dolphin | Videos | Chilean Dolphin | Species Conservation | Animal Welfare | Team Germany | Animal Species Protected by YAQU PACHA | Scientific Advisory Board | Aerial Surveys – Your Donation Counts | Fishermen in Brazil and the Toninha