Our Projects: PERU

Since 1999, GRD has been supporting its Peruvian partner organisation ACOREMA, who established a marine conservation center in Pisco. In the following, you will find a summary of the detailed scientific report with which ACOREMA's presidents, Mónica Echegaray and Julio Reyes, informed us about what has been done and achieved so far. ACOREMA is conducting a long-term study of dolphins living in the Pisco/Paracas area in southern Peru. Two resident groups of dolphins and their home ranges have been determined.
About 60 individual dolphins have been identified by means of their dorsal fins. Behavioral studies were conducted and data on group size, diving depth, and distance from the shore were collected.

The human-induced threats the dolphins are facing include dynamite fishing, marine pollution, reduction of their food through overfishing, and habitat destruction caused by scallop farming, being developed particularly in the Paracas National Reserve. Moreover, ACOREMA's studies have revealed that at least seventeen dolphins have died in the area since January 2000 through direct hunting and as bycatch. The meat was sold in the markets, and even door to door. Furthermore, whale and dolphin strandings were studied. Net marks, injuries caused by harpoons or missing fins revealed the cause of their death.

Strandings and Interaction with Fisheries

ACOREMA recorded four cetacean species in the area during the 2000 study period: Burmeister's porpoises, dusky dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and a sperm whale. Two of the dusky dolphins and a sperm whale calf were found dead on the shore. Regular monitoring of the local fishing port yielded a total of seventeen caught dolphins, including Burmeister's porpoises, dusky dolphins, and bottlenose dolphins. They were either directly hunted or had died as bycatch in gillnets, which are set up to catch rays and sharks. Since there exists a market for dolphin meat, dolphins are not released from the nets even if they are still alive.

Habitat Degradation

Dynamite fishing is a big problem in the area. It is also practised within Paracas National Reserve and, in particular, in the habitat of the resident group of 15 dolphins. Dynamite fishing is prohibited; however, there is no effective enforcement. Further habitat encroachment takes place through scallop farming. The dolphins were observed changing their course to avoid the farms. The dolphins also suffer from a reduced food supply caused by overfishing of anchovies. Apparently to improve their hunting strategies, they tend to aggregate in groups of more than 30 animals in this area, which is rather unusual for dolphins living in coastal areas. The largest school of dolphins sighted near Pisco in 2000 included about 60 individuals. Marine pollution poses another threat. Not only the region's fishmeal plants, but also waste in the form of plastic bottles and bags, pieces of nets, batteries and other objects, pollute water and coasts alike. They constitute potential threats to dolphins, including entanglement and accidental ingestion.

Dolphin Studies

During the regular boat excursions and land-based observations only bottlenose dolphins were sighted. The studies included extended behavioral studies. They have revealed that, during hunting, dolphins fenced the fish against the shore. In the presence of fishing boats, the dolphins were indifferent. They only left when the boat approached them head-on or if the fishermen used certain noise-producing devices in order to drive fish into the nets.

There are two resident dolphin groups living in the Pisco area. 45 animals of the larger group, which can, for the most part, be found between the Paracas bay south of Pisco and Tamo de More north of Pisco, have been identified. The smaller group, whose home range exclusively covers Paracas National Reserve, comprises 15 individuals including two calves. Close observation of the dolphins has shown that some of them bear dark grey scars on their skin, so-called "tatoo marks" caused by a viral infection. Some of them also had larger depigmented areas on their skin, probably resulting from a fungal infection.

GRD's Adopt-A-Dolphin Program

Many people are interested in contributing to ACOREMA's efforts to protect the dolphins. Donations and dolphin adoptions thus enabled GRD to provide considerable financial support to ACOREMA, whose important and professional work can be considered a milestone in South America. Julio and Mónica were very pleased about this contribution and thank everybody for their support.