Report of the Second Workshop on The Biology and Conservation of ...

<strong>of</strong> SE Asia. Two species have since been removedfrom <strong>the</strong> list due to <strong>the</strong> lack <strong>of</strong> any recent (withinten years) confirmatory records, in spite <strong>of</strong> effortsmade to survey possible habitats and to resolvepossible misidentifications. Animals initiallythought to be finless porpoises in MalampayaSound turned out to be Irrawaddy dolphins. Astranded Irrawaddy dolphin from <strong>the</strong> TurtleIslands (as reported by Reeves et al. 1997) wasalso misidentified as a finless porpoise. Althoughsightings <strong>of</strong> pygmy sperm whales have beenreported, <strong>the</strong>re have never been any confirmatoryspecimens or photographs. The species addedsince 1995 include Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin,Cuvier’s beaked whale, and Irrawaddy dolphin.In 1995, 10% <strong>of</strong> Philippine waters had beensurveyed for cetaceans (Doc. 1). As <strong>of</strong> this report,surveys have been conducted in an estimated 40%<strong>of</strong> Philippine waters. (Dolar et al. 1997; Tan 1995;Dolar 1999a, b; Doc. 25).Marsh et al. (2002) provides a summary <strong>of</strong>current knowledge <strong>of</strong> dugong distribution in <strong>the</strong>Philippines. Overall, <strong>the</strong> population is sparseand scattered. Palawan Island is considered <strong>the</strong>dugong’s stronghold but a substantial populationalso exist in parts <strong>of</strong> sou<strong>the</strong>rn Mindanao.O<strong>the</strong>r institutions in addition to those listed in1995 which house or collect cetacean bones areAquinas University in Rawis, Legazpi City (whichhas <strong>the</strong> skull and a few vertebrae <strong>of</strong> a sperm whalestranded in Manito, Albay) and <strong>the</strong> EndangeredSpecies Cemetery <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> National IntegratedFisheries Research Training and DevelopmentCenter (NIFRTDC) in Bonuan-Binloc, DagupanCity, Pangasinan, where carcasses <strong>of</strong> three spinnerdolphins, a Risso’s dolphin and an unidentifiedwhale are buried.Population statusAbundance estimates <strong>of</strong> cetaceans have beenmade for only a few areas in <strong>the</strong> Philippines: <strong>the</strong>eastern and sou<strong>the</strong>rn Sulu Sea, Tañon Strait,and Malampaya Sound. Species with abundanceestimates include <strong>the</strong> spinner, pantropical spotted,Fraser’s, common bottlenose and Risso’s dolphins;short-finned pilot whale; melon-headed whaleand dwarf sperm whale (Dolar et al. 1997; Dolar1999a)Of all <strong>the</strong> cetaceans found in <strong>the</strong> Philippines, <strong>the</strong>Irrawaddy dolphin is considered to be <strong>the</strong> mostendangered. The population in Malampaya Soundis <strong>the</strong> only known population <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> species in <strong>the</strong>country. An estimated 77 individuals (CV=27%)occur in a limited area <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> inner Sound <strong>of</strong>around 133.7 km2 (Doc. 14). The impact <strong>of</strong> dolphinmortality attributed to by-catch is extremely high(del Valle and Aquino 2002; Doc. 14; Doc. 29) andposes an immediate threat to <strong>the</strong> population’ssurvival. It is strongly recommended that <strong>the</strong>population be listed as Critically Endangered in<strong>the</strong> IUCN Red List, that FAO 208 be amended toinclude this dolphin population, and that concreteaction be taken to ensure that <strong>the</strong> species survivesin <strong>the</strong> Philippines. There are ongoing efforts forfur<strong>the</strong>r research and conservation management<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> population and its habitat. An integratedconservation and development project is currentlybeing implemented by WWF-Philippines incollaboration with stakeholders in <strong>the</strong> area.There is no estimate <strong>of</strong> dugong abundance in<strong>the</strong> Philippines, and <strong>the</strong> status <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> species isunknown. However, <strong>the</strong> distribution is consideredgreatly reduced as almost all islands have recordedsightings. Dugongs are now believed to be locallyextinct in many areas (Marsh et al. 2002)Habitat statusMost marine mammal habitats in <strong>the</strong> Philippinesoverlap with areas <strong>of</strong> increasing fishing52 CMS Technical Series Publication Nº 9 - 2005