Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) movement patterns along the South African coast

dc.contributor.authorVermeulen, Els
dc.contributor.authorBouveroux, Thibaut
dc.contributor.authorPlon, Stephanie
dc.contributor.authorAtkins, Shanan
dc.contributor.authorChivell, Wilfred
dc.contributor.authorCockcroft, Vic
dc.contributor.authorConry, Danielle S.
dc.contributor.authorGennari, Enrico
dc.contributor.authorHörbst, Sandra
dc.contributor.authorJames, B.S. (Bridget)
dc.contributor.authorKirkman, Stephen
dc.contributor.authorPenry, Gwenith
dc.contributor.authorPistorius, Pierre Anton
dc.contributor.authorThornton, Meredith
dc.contributor.authorVargas‐Fonseca, O. Alejandra
dc.contributor.authorElwen, Simon Harvey
dc.date.accessioned2018-08-31T08:36:42Z
dc.date.issued2018-02
dc.description.abstract1. The Indian Ocean humpback dolphin was recently uplisted to ‘Endangered’ in the recent South African National Red List assessment. Abundance estimates are available from a number of localized study sites, but knowledge of movement patterns and population linkage between these sites is poor. A national research collaboration, the SouSA project, was established in 2016 to address this key knowledge gap. Twenty identification catalogues collected between 2000 and 2016 in 13 different locations were collated and compared. 2. Photographs of 526 humpback dolphins (all catalogues and photos) were reduced to 337 individuals from 12 locations after data selection. Of these, 90 matches were found for 61 individuals over multiple sites, resulting in 247 uniquely, well‐marked humpback dolphins identified in South Africa. 3. Movements were observed along most of the coastline studied. Ranging distances had a median value of 120 km and varied from 30 km up to 500 km. Long‐term site fidelity was also evident in the data. Dolphins ranging along the south coast of South Africa seem to form one single population at the western end of the species' global range. 4. Current available photo‐identification data suggested national abundance may be well below previous estimates of 1000 individuals, with numbers possibly closer to 500. Bearing in mind the poor conservation status of the species in the country, the development of a national Biodiversity Management Plan aimed at ensuring the long‐term survival of the species in South Africa is strongly recommended. At the same time, increased research efforts are essential, particularly to allow for an in‐depth assessment of population numbers and drivers of changes therein. 5. The present study clearly indicates the importance of scientific collaboration when investigating highly mobile and endangered species.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentMammal Research Instituteen_ZA
dc.description.embargo2019-02-01
dc.description.librarianhj2018en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipThis collaborative research project was funded by the South African Network for Coastal and Oceanic Research (SANCOR), the National Research Foundation (NRF), and the University of Pretoria.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/aqcen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationVermeulen, E., Bouveroux, T., Plön, S. et al. 2018, 'Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) movement patterns along the South African coast', Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 231-240.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1052-7613 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1099-0755 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1002/aqc.2836
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/66411
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherWileyen_ZA
dc.rights© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article : 'Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) movement patterns along the South African coast', Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 231-240, 2018, doi : 10.1002/aqc.2836. The definite version is available at : http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/aqc.en_ZA
dc.subjectCoastalen_ZA
dc.subjectDispersalen_ZA
dc.subjectEndangered speciesen_ZA
dc.subjectHumpback dolphinen_ZA
dc.subjectMammalsen_ZA
dc.subjectPhoto-identificationen_ZA
dc.titleIndian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) movement patterns along the South African coasten_ZA
dc.typePostprint Articleen_ZA

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