Clymene dolphins (<i>Stenella clymene</i>) in the eastern tropical Atlantic: distribution, group size, and pigmentation pattern

Weir, Caroline R.; Coles, Phil; Ferguson, Amy; May, Duncan; Baines, Mick; Figueirdo, Inês; Reichelt, Maren; Goncalves, Luis; Boer, Marijke N. de; Rose, Barrie; Edwards, Matt; Travers, Sue; Ambler, Michael; Félix, Hugo; Wall, Dave; Azhakesan, Valeria A. A.; Betenbaugh, Mike; Fennelly, Lea; Haaland, Sigbjørn; Hak, Guus; Juul, Terji; Leslie, R. W.; McNamara, B. R.; Russell, Nichola; Smith, Jaclyn A.; Tabisola, Heather M.; Teixeira, Alexandra; Vermeulen, Els; Vines, Juliet; Williams, Andy

doi:10.1644/14-mamm-a-115

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Fertl et al (2003) considered these features atypical in a sighting of an 18 Clymene dolphins pod reported over a continental shelf 44 m deep (Mullin et al 1994) although Jefferson (2018) considers that they are occasionally observed in inshore water provided deep water lies close to the coast, as is the case around some Caribbean islands. Such peculiarities have been also recorded in the eastern Atlantic (Weir et al 2014). Their occurrence in deep water may link to the offshore location of prey given that cetacean distributions are best explained in terms of prey availability (Davis et al 1998…”

Section: Habitatmentioning

confidence: 77%

First record of Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene Gray, 1846) in European waters

Pis-Millán¹,

Roselló²,

Morales‐Muñiz³

et al. 2019

Galemys

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Section: Habitatmentioning

confidence: 77%

First record of Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene Gray, 1846) in European waters

Pis-Millán¹,

Roselló²,

Morales‐Muñiz³

et al. 2019

Galemys

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“…The first documented record of a Clymene dolphin in Ghana was a bycaught specimen from Keta in 1956(Van Waerebeek et al, 2009. Recent Clymene dolphin records from Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana all occurred in waters > 1999 m depth but off Angola and Gabon the species was also recorded in continental slope waters of 466 and 684 m depth (Weir et al, 2014). The Clymene dolphin is the most common cetacean landed at Ghanaian fishing ports (1998-2000Ofori-Danson et al, 2003).…”

Section: Clymene Dolphinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There was a large amount of sightings that were classified as unidentified during the present survey or were classified only to species group level (42% of all sightings; Table 3). Naturally, some of these "unidentified" dolphins may have involved species such as the Clymene dolphin which can be very difficult to identify (Weir et al, 2014). In the western Atlantic, Clymene dolphins are known to be nocturnal foragers for mesopelagic fish and squid (Fertl et al, 1997).…”

Section: Clymene Dolphinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is a lack of information regarding the bycatch of dolphins in the industrial tuna purse-seine fisheries in the Gulf of Guinea (Maigret, 1981;Van Waerebeek and Perrin, 2012). The occurrence of Clymene dolphin bycatch is undocumented in those countries neighboring Ghana (Sohou et al, 2013;Segniagbeto et al, 2014) yet when taking into account the multiple sighting records recently confirmed for the area (Weir et al, 2014) then bycatch is likely to occur throughout the region. We opine that the risk of entanglement or capture in fisheries of Clymene dolphins in Ghana is high.…”

Section: Clymene Dolphinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Under Pressure: Cetaceans and Fisheries Co-occurrence off the Coasts of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire (Gulf of Guinea)

Saulino²,

et al. 2016

Self Cite

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Within the Gulf of Guinea high levels of fisheries-related cetacean mortality (bycatch and direct-capture) has been documented. For locally rare species such removals could potentially lead to significant population level effects. However, information on the cetacean abundance and distribution is scarce. Similarly, it remains largely unreported where fishing fleets operate offshore. A cetacean survey took place during geophysical surveys (2013-2014) along the coasts of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. This provided a unique opportunity to study both offshore cetacean and fishing communities. Due to large group-sizes, melon-headed whales were the most abundant (0.34 animals km −1) followed by Fraser's dolphins and short-finned pilot whales. Range state records were confirmed for melon-headed whale and Fraser's dolphin in Ivoirian waters and ten further species represented first at-sea sightings. The artisanal fishing canoe was most abundant (92% of all vessels) and recorded up to 99.5 km from the Ghanaian coast. Asian trawlers operated over shelf areas and tuna purse-seine vessels in deep oceanic and slope waters. Fraser's dolphins, melon-headed whales, pantropical spotted dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and pilot whales were recorded in areas with the highest fishing densities. Melon-headed whales, pilot whales, and rough-toothed dolphins were observed in vicinity of trawlers; bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, and pilot whales in vicinity of canoes. Some notable differences were found in the species composition between the present surveys and port-based surveys of landed cetaceans (bycatch/direct-captures). These may be explained by (1) feeding strategies (nocturnal vs. diurnal; surface vs. deep water); (2) different attractions to vessels/fishing gear; (3) variable body sizes; and (4) difficulty to positively identify species. Despite these differences, both cetaceans and fishing vessels predominantly occurred in shelf and slope waters (< 1000 m depth contour), making fishery-related mortality likely. The poor knowledge on population trends of cetaceans in this unique upwelling region, together with a high demand for cetacean products for human consumption (as "marine bushmeat") may lead to a potential decline of some species that may go unnoticed. These new insights can provide a foundation for the urgently required risk assessments of cetacean mortality in fisheries within the northern Gulf of Guinea.

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“…Published information on the biology of the clymene dolphin S. clymene were exclusively those from the Western Atlantic Ocean. The species commonly occurs in oceanic waters 250 m to 5,000 m in depth in tropical and warm temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean [7,8]. They feed on small mesopelagic fish (e.g, myctophids) and cephalopods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stomach Content Analysis and Concentrations of Chemical Pollutants in the Clymene Dolphin (Stenella Clymene, Gray 1846) from the Coastal Waters of Ghana

Sakyi¹,

Pk²,

Addo³

et al. 2019

Fish Aquac J

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Stomach content analysis constitutes an important component of fisheries management, providing insight into fish feeding patterns and quantitative assessment of food habits. Thus, a study aimed at obtaining dietary information from stomach contents analysis of the most common by-caught dolphin species, Stenella clymene, beached from the coastal waters of Ghana, along the Gulf of Guinea was undertaken. The stomachs of 39 by-caught clymene dolphins landed at three fisheries landing beaches along the Ghanaian coast, were analyzed. A further study correlating the chemical contaminant load in tissues of Clymene dolphins to that of their preferred prey was undertaken. The stomach contents were generally composed of digested items. Fish, cephalopods and crustaceans were identified and represented a diversity of 12 species. On taxa level, fish was the most frequent (69%) and numerically the most important prey (46.57) followed by cephalopods (3.05) with crustaceans being present in trace amounts (1.55). However, both cephalopods and fish represented a more balanced share of the diet in biomass (45% and 51%) respectively. Thus, clymene dolphins off the coastal waters of Ghana appear to rely principally on both fish and cephalopods for food. Parasites, Pormphorhynchidae also dominated the gut contents in relative abundance (48.83%). Prey items accumulated chemical contaminants at relatively the same concentrations (50%) as the blubber, liver and muscle of the clymene dolphins, confirming that food is the main source of exposure to contaminant load for marine mammals. With regards to quantitative analysis of prey species of cetaceans, this study of diet in clymene dolphins is the first recorded in this area.

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Clymene dolphins (Stenella clymene) in the eastern tropical Atlantic: distribution, group size, and pigmentation pattern

Cited by 15 publications

References 17 publications

First record of Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene Gray, 1846) in European waters

First record of Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene Gray, 1846) in European waters

Under Pressure: Cetaceans and Fisheries Co-occurrence off the Coasts of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire (Gulf of Guinea)

Stomach Content Analysis and Concentrations of Chemical Pollutants in the Clymene Dolphin (Stenella Clymene, Gray 1846) from the Coastal Waters of Ghana

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