The Franciscana Dolphin

The Franciscana Dolphin: On the Edge of Survival provides the most updated and comprehensive knowledge on the most endangered marine mammal in the Western South Atlantic Ocean. It synthesizes all available information on this dolphin species, also referred to as La Plata dolphin, ranging from taxonomy, evolution, diet, parasites and diseases, reproduction and growth, to genetic diversity and stock definition, distribution, abundance, behavior, as well as the threats and causes behind the dwindling population numbers.

Written by international experts, this book explores aspects of the species' natural history and urgent problems of accidental mortality in fishing nets, contamination, and habitat loss. It offers the most current research and practices on rehabilitating debilitated animals and presents initiatives at the regional and international level for species conservation, including current and potential strategies related to marine protected areas and public policies. *The Franciscana Dolphin: On the Edge of Survival* is an important resource for researchers and practitioners in marine conservation, marine biology, and zoology, particularly those who seek to gain the most reputable information on vulnerable marine mammal species for conservation efforts. Policymakers and public officials involved in environmental protection and planning will also find this useful to combat similar threats with other dolphin species around the world

Autorentext
Paulo Simões-Lopes received is PhD in Zoology from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul. He has published more than 130 scientific articles in journals and specialized book chapters, in addition to four books. Dr. Simões-Lopes has experience in the zoology of marine mammals, with an emphasis on morphology and skeletal biomechanics, comparative anatomy, population and behavior ecology, and systematics of cetaceans and pinnipeds. Marta Cremer received her PhD in Zoology from the Federal University of Paraná. She has published more than 90 scientific journal articles, book chapters, as well as four books. Her areas of expertise include animal ecology, specializing in bioacoustics, behavior, population and biological parameters of cetaceans, as well as public policies and conservation biology.

Klappentext
The Franciscana Dolphin: On the Edge of Survival provides the most updated and comprehensive knowledge on the most endangered marine mammal in the Western South Atlantic Ocean. It synthesizes all available information on this dolphin species, also referred to as La Plata dolphin, ranging from taxonomy, evolution, diet, parasites and diseases, reproduction and growth, to genetic diversity and stock definition, distribution, abundance, behavior, as well as the threats and causes behind the dwindling population numbers.

Written by international experts, this book explores aspects of the species' natural history and urgent problems of accidental mortality in fishing nets, contamination, and habitat loss. It offers the most current research and practices on rehabilitating debilitated animals and presents initiatives at the regional and international level for species conservation, including current and potential strategies related to marine protected areas and public policies. The Franciscana Dolphin: On the Edge of Survival is an important resource for researchers and practitioners in marine conservation, marine biology, and zoology, particularly those who seek to gain the most reputable information on vulnerable marine mammal species for conservation efforts. Policymakers and public officials involved in environmental protection and planning will also find this useful to combat similar threats with other dolphin species around the world

Inhalt

1. Taxonomy, skeletal morphology, and evolutionary history
   
   2. Overview of franciscana diet
   3. Macroparasites of franciscana: what can their coexistence say
   4. Pathologies and diseases
   5. The life history of franciscana dolphins
   6. Genetic diversity, population structure, and phylogeography
   7. Abundance estimates of franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei): a review and future recommendations
   8. Behavior and movement patterns of franciscana dolphins
   9. Acoustic repertoire and bioacoustics applications
   10. Is the franciscana bycatch in gillnet fisheries sustainable?
   11. Chemical pollution and franciscana-a review
   12. Coastal development and habitat loss: understanding
   13. Long-term patterns of franciscana strandings throughout its distribution
   14. Rehabilitation of stranded specimens
   15. Alternative fishing methods, the potential use of "pingers," and other solutions to reduce the bycatch of franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei)
   16. Gillnet fishing characteristics in Franciscana Management Areas
   17. Ethnoecological approaches and fishermen perception
   18. Marine protected areas: Their potential for the conservation of the franciscana
   19. International and regional agreements, national legislation, and public policies