Franciscana Project




In 1992 Fundación Cethus undertook a research campaign on this species in Bahía San Blas (Buenos Aires province) and at the mouth of the Río Negro.

Activities carried out
The study took place in the two areas mentioned. Data was collected on the distribution, movements, associations, number of calves, behaviour and on the impact of human activity in the region in relation to these cetaceans. The methodology used was ad libitum, group and individual focal technique, depending on the case. All data collected was compiled in a report and published, providing new information on the species, contributing further to the research already carried out aimed at the conservation of the Franciscana.
Between 1993 and 1996, Fundación Cethus carried out in Bahía San Blas (Buenos Aires province, Argentina) the first systematic studies on this species.

In 2001, Fundación Cethus signed an agreement with CEAMSE (Coordinación Ecológica Área Metropolitana Sociedad del Estado) in order to implement an Environmental Education and Research Campaign on the Franciscana. This agreement proved to be of tremendous importance in that it gave concrete support to the conservation of, and knowledge about, a species at serious risk.
Since 2001, Fundación Cethus has been working at the mouth of the Río Negro, the southern distribution limit. Behavioural and bio-ecological studies are being carried out on this sub-population which could very well be the most southerly population known at the present time.

Getting to know the Franciscana
The Franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) is one of the rarest dolphins in South America. Data on its biology and ecology is very scarce.
Its average length is 1.5m, and its beak is the longest of all the dolphin family. The body colouring is brownish grey, hence its name, brown being the colour of the habits of Franciscan monks.

Distribution
It is to be found from Río Doce in Brazil to Península Valdés in Argentina.
The few observations made suggest that it is a solitary animal, although groups of up to 5 individuals have been seen.

Biology and Ecology
Very little is known about the ecology of this species in its natural habitat, and the only studies that have been carried out in Argentina have been those in the bay of San Blas. Most of the biological information comes from dead specimens accidentally captured in fishing nets. There has been few population counts taken up to the present time so little is known as to the real current status of the species. Although great interest has been awakened in this dolphin within the scientific community in recent years, we believe that the conservation efforts are still insufficient.

Conservation
Pollution and being captured in fishing nets are serious causes of mortality in this species.
The Franciscana together with other species of coastal dolphin are the species of cetaceans with most conservation problems in the South Western Atlantic. The most serious for the Franciscana are:
-  accidental mortality in fishing nets
-  lack of information on its population status
-  destruction of its habitat and pollution, and
-  ignorance of the public and authorities in general

The Franciscana is named in the Red Book of the IUCN in the Vulnerable category (VU). The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) listed it in the Appendix II. The CMS has also recently included it in Appendix I.