Dolphins, Porpoises, and Whales - IUCN

Reyes 1990, in press). The species of most concern are the
dusky and common dolphins, which are taken in the greatest
numbers, and Burmeister's porpoise, a species endemic
to coastal southern South America. The meat is sold for
human food. It should be noted that the direct fishery for
cetaceans was officially closed by the Peruvian government
in November 1990, but this closure has not been adequately
enforced (Van Waerebeek 1994, IWC in press a).
There is still no national commitment in Peru to provide
support for stock assessment, and it appears that the need
for international funding and prodding will continue.
Thus some of the actions indicated in the previous version
of the Action Plan still apply (Perrin 1989:9). Since 1989,
Peru's cetacean fisheries have also been considered by the
IWC Workshop on Mortality of Cetaceans in Passive
Fishing Nets and Traps in 1990 (Perrin et al. in press)
and by the IWC Scientific Committee (IWC 1992a:201-
202, in press a).
Reliable estimates of total fishing mortality are needed
for each species in Peruvian waters. This can be achieved
by modifying existing procedures used by the Ministerio
de Pesqueria (MIPE) to collect data. It should be required
that the number of individuals of each species landed be
recorded, instead of only the total weight of cetaceans
landed. Better information on stock structure is also
needed, as are reliable estimates of abundance for the
affected stocks. The work of the Centro Peruano de
Estudios Cetologicos (CEPEC) has been instrumental in
documenting the problem, and this work should be supported
and continued (UNEP has provided some support
as part of the Action Plan for the Conservation of Marine
Mammals in the Southeast Pacific). The recommendation
that "alternative fishing methods be sought to reduce
marine mammal mortality without affecting fishery
yields" in Peru (IWC 1992a:202) has been initialed as
"Old" Project A7, and the preliminary results (Reyes
1993) offer hope for replacement of harmful fishing techniques
by techniques that do not kill cetaceans (Fig. 31).
Project 34
Continue monitoring of bycatches and direct
catches of cetaceans in Sri Lanka ("old" Project 19)
As in Peru, the artisanal fishery for small cetaceans in Sri
Lanka has now been a subject of international conservation
concern for more than five years (IWC 1986a). Much of
what was called for in the previous version of the Action
Plan (Perrin 1989:12) has been implemented under the
aegis of the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization's (FAO's) Bay of Bengal Program
(Dayaratne and Joseph 1993). However, the report of this
FAO project gives no cause for abatement of concern
about the impacts of the Sri Lankan fisheries on coastal
stocks of small and medium-sized cetaceans. As the report
acknowledges, there is no information on stock size for
62
Fig. 32. Cetaceans of many species are killed along the coasts
of Sri Lanka. Although some of the killing is inadvertent, the
market value of cetacean meat has caused deliberate netting
and harpooning to proliferate. The Sri Lankan fisheries for
cetaceans are unregulated, and no assessment has been made
of the impact on populations (Spinner dolphins, Hambantota, Sri
Lanka, 27 May 1985).
any of the exploited cetacean species and thus no way of
assessing the impact of the continuing removals. The
report also concludes that, contrary to the understanding of
Leatherwood and Reeves (1989; also see IWC 1992a:203),
the taking of cetaceans is not illegal in Sri Lanka.
There remains an urgent need for a well-planned, carefully-executed
project to document fishing effort (by area
and season) and cetacean landings throughout Sri Lanka
(Fig. 32). The sampling program and subsequent analyses
should be designed and conducted in a manner that
meets internationally accepted standards of scientific rigor.
Biological specimens should be collected and studied
alongside archived specimens collected in 1983-1986 (cf.
Leatherwood and Reeves 1989), with a view to examining
species, age, and sex composition of the landed catch.
Surveys are needed to estimate cetacean populations that
are subject to exploitation in Sri Lankan fisheries.
Project 35
Continue monitoring bycatches and direct catches of
cetaceans in the Philippines ("old" Project A8)
It first became known in 1990 that cetaceans were being
taken in artisanal fisheries in the Philippines, both inten-