Dear Marmam colleagues,
My co-authors and I are pleased to share our paper on marine mammals and
seabirds off French Guiana.
Martinez, L., Geraldes, D., Suardi, A., Wyss, V., Dutrieux, E., &
Chaineau, C. (2019). New sightings records of marine mammals and
seabirds off French Guiana. /Latin American Journal of Aquatic
Research/, 47(5), 753-763.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3856/vol47-issue5-fulltext-4
French Guiana region is one of the most productive in the world and
hosts a wide variety of marine vertebrates. In the same time,
anthropogenic activities are a growing concern in French Guiana, both in
coastal and offshore areas. However, few studies are published on marine
marine mammals, seabirds and potential interactions. Twenty-three marine
mammal species are known to occur in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
and important seabird breeding sites are located in the area. Most of
the existing literature relates to breeding birds and coastal cetaceans,
but the continental slope appears to be an essential habitat for marine
mammals and seabirds. Between October 22 and November 23, 2017, an
oceanographic survey was conducted on the Guiana slope to study the
quality of sediments and water. Three marine fauna observers (MFOs) were
onboard to record sightings of marine mammals and seabirds
opportunistically. During 462 h of visual effort in good sighting
conditions, 313 sightings (824 individuals) were recorded: 61 marine
mammals (501 individuals) and 252 seabirds (323 individuals). Seven
seabird families were observed: Laridae (42%), Fregatidae (26%),
Procellariidae (12%), Stercorariidae (10%), Hydrobatidae (4%), Sulidae
(2%) and Phaethontidae (1%). 3% concerned wader species. The most
frequently observed seabird species was the magnificent frigatebird
(/Fregata magnificens/), as well as the common tern (/Sterna hirundo/),
Cory’s shearwater (/Calonectris diomedea/) and the pomarine jaeger
(/Stercorarius pomarinus/). Many Delphinidae species were observed
(/Stenella longirostris/,/Stenella attenuata/,/Stenella
frontalis/,/Delphinus delphis/,/Tursiops truncatus/) in addition to
sperm whales (/Physeter macrocephalus/) and humpback whales (/Megaptera
novaeangliae/). Only a few sightings of humpback whales have been
previously recorded in this area. Sighted individuals were mainly
mother-calf pairs suggesting that the area may be an extended part of a
calving ground for humpback whales.
The open access paper can be downloaded here:
http://lajar.ucv.cl/index.php/rlajar/article/view/vol47-issue5-fulltext-4/1116
Kind regards,
--
Ludivine Martinez
Responsable Cohabys
ADERA
05 46 50 76 71 (LD)
06 32 84 65 74 (M)
ludivine.marti...@univ-lr.fr
http://cohabys.fr
La Rochelle Université
Institut du Littoral et de l'Environnement
2 rue Olympe de Gouges
Bureau 145 - 17000 La Rochelle
univ-larochelle.fr <http://www.univ-larochelle.fr>
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