Guanabara-Sepetiba Coastal Embayment Complex IMMA
Size in Square Kilometres
980 km2
Qualifying Species and Criteria
Guiana dolphin – Sotalia guianensis
Criterion A; B (1,2); C (1,2)
Rough-toothed dolphin – Steno bredanensis
Criterion C (2)
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Summary
The Guanabara-Sepetiba Coastal Embayment Complex IMMA includes two coastal bays with estuarine characteristics and rich ecosystem environments including sand beaches, rocky shores, mangroves, islands, and rivers. These areas share similar characteristics that are suitable for the residency and survival of the nationally “Vulnerable” and globally “Near Threatened” Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis). Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are non-resident species but regularly observed feeding in Guanabara Bay. Harbor activities, heavy boat traffic, chemical and noise pollution, overfishing and bycatch are the main threats in this IMMA. The bays comprise two marine conservation units. Although Sepetiba and Guanabara Bay are not geographically connected, movement of Guiana dolphin individuals between both environments was already reported through photo-identification efforts.
Description of Qualifying Criteria
Criterion A – Species or Population Vulnerability
Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) is classified “near threatened” by IUCN (Secchi et al., 2018) and “vulnerable” on the Brazilian Endangered Species National List (MMA/ICMBio, 2022).
Criterion B: Distribution and Abundance
Sub-criterion B1: Small and Resident Populations
Through a long-term mark-recapture effort using photo-identification in Guanabara Bay, Azevedo et al. (2017) reported on the first decline of a delphinid population in Brazilian waters. The Guiana dolphin population in Guanabara Bay declined from 62 (95%CI 59 – 65) to 39 (37 – 40) representing a 63% decline in the resident population in an interval of 15 years. In Guanabara Bay, Guiana dolphins are resident and socializing and births are registered year-round (Azevedo et al. 2005, Azevedo et al. 2017). Guiana dolphins are reported to feed between 60-80% of the time in Guanabara Bay (Azevedo et al. 2007, Ribeiro-Campos et al. 2021).
Sub-criterion B2: Aggregations
The Guiana dolphin population in Sepetiba Bay is reported as resident and aggregations of up to 200 individuals are commonly reported in that area (Flach et al., 2008; Ribeiro-Campos et al., 2021). The most recent estimate for the Guiana dolphin population in Sepetiba Bay was conducted using data from mark-recapture photo-identification efforts from 2017 to 2020 where 1,620 individuals (CI 95% 1,555 – 1,697) were estimated (Quintana, 2020).
Criterion C: Key Life Cycle Activities
Sub-criterion C1: Reproductive Areas
In Sepetiba Bay births of Guiana dolphin are observed year-round and neonates and calves are frequently reported (Flach et al. 2008, Ribeiro-Camos et al. 2021).
Sub-criterion C2: Feeding Areas
In Sepetiba bay, groups of Guiana dolphins can be seen feeding, socializing, traveling, and resting on a daily basis (Ribeiro-Campos et al. 2021; Beirão-Campos et al. 2019).
Carvalho et al. (2020) reported that feeding was the most common behavior observed for Steno bredanensis in Guanabara Bay. Main preys in this area are largehead hairtail fish (Trichiurus lepturus), mullets (Mugil curema and Mugil liza) and cephalopods such as Loligo plei and Loligo sanpaulensis (Melo et al., 2010; Lodi and Maricato, 2020). Stable isotopic analyses showed that S. bredanensis typically an inner continental shelf predator, was in this area sharing prey species in the same ecological group as the strictly coastal resident Sotalia guianensis (Bisi et al. 2013).
The occurrence of Tursiops truncatus is seasonal, possibly associated to upwelling events in the summer (Lodi, 2016). Stomach content analyses showed that Atlantic midshipman fish (Porichtys porosissimus) and the squid (Loligo sanpaulensis) were the main preys of teleosts and cephalopods, respectively, in this area (Melo et al. 2010).
Supporting Information
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