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Exploitation
I have studied the history and patterns of exploitation of marine mammals
in this part of the world. The historical period encompasses from
pre-Columbian times to the present. I have produced two articles in this
area:
Romero, A.; A. I. Agudo & S.M. Green. 1997. Exploitation of Cetaceans in
Venezuela. Reports of the International Whaling Commission 47:735-746.
Abstract
Cetacean exploitation in the Caribbean is poorly documented but appears to
be more widespread than previously recognized. We surveyed the
literature, examined historical records and conducted field studies to
ascertain the nature and extent of exploitation in Venezuelan waters. We
found records indicating practices dating to pre-Columbian times. There is
evidence that at least 11 of the 20 cetacean species found in the area
have been taken. The species most frequently mentioned are Delphinus
capensis (25%), Tursiops truncatus (23%) and Inia
geoffrensis (16%). Harpooning and netting (94% combined) are the most
frequently noted capture methods. Report of the methods of capture and the
uses of animals taken are associated with the period of records, with
captures by harpooning and usage for bait being the most prevalent since
1961. Two of the most likely determinants of user of a species, its
species-typical size and its appearance in coastal and fresh waters as
opposed to pelagic ranging, were examined. Exploitation of a species is
independent of its size but is associated with its ranging patterns,
pelagic species being less likely to be taken. The records examined do not
allow the determination of whether the extent of use by fisheries has any
effect on local cetacean populations.
Romero, A. 2000. Should Venezuelan Botos Be Imported into the United
States? WhaleWatcher 32(1):13-15
In this article I examined the conservation, ecological, political, and
technical issues raised by a permit request that the Dallas World Aquarium
made to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to import to two botos or Amazon
river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) from Venezuela into the U.S.
After analyzing the above-cited areas of concern I concluded that such
permit should not issued.
Drawing of Inia geoffrensis in Löfling's manuscript. |
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Species Composition and Distribution
I was the lead author of a 60-page monograph in this
issue.
Romero, A.; A. I. Agudo, S.M. Green & G. Notarbartolo di Sciara. 2001.
Cetaceans of Venezuela: Their Distribution and Conservation Status.
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Technical Reports
NOAA Technical Report NMFS 151:1-64.
Abstract
To document the Venezuelan cetacean fauna and its distribution in the
eastern Caribbean, sighting, stranding, and capture records of whales and
dolphins for Venezuela were assembled and analyzed. An attempt was made to
confirm species identification for each of the records, yielding 443 that
encompass 21 species of cetaceans now confirmed to
occur in Venezuelan marine, estuarine, and freshwater habitats. For each
species, we report its global and local distribution, conservation status
and threats, and the common names used along with ourproposal for a
Spanish common name. Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) is the most
commonly reported mysticete while the long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus
capensis) is the most frequent of the odontocetes in marine waters.
The boto or tonina (Inia geoffrensis) was found to be ubiquitous in
the Orinoco watershed. The distribution of marine records is consistent
with the pattern of productivity of Venezuelan marine waters, i.e., a
concentration at 63o 07' W through 65o 26' W with
records declining to the east and to the west. An examination of the
records for all cetaceans in the Caribbean leads us to conclude that seven
additional species may be present in Venezuelan waters.
History of Marine Mammal Science
Through the analysis of little-known manuscripts, together with my
colleagues I was able to trace back the first scientific descriptions of
the boto or Amazon River dolphin, Inia geoffrensis.
Romero, A.; I. Agudo & S.J. Blondell. 1997. The Scientific Discovery of
the South American Freshwater Dolphin, Inia geoffrensis. Marine
Mammal Science 13(3):419-426.
Abstract
Analysis of little-known manuscripts revealed that there have been at
least two pre-Linnean descriptions of the South American freshwater
dolphin Inia geoffrensis (Blainville, 1817). The earliest one
that we found was made by Frei Cristóvâo de Lisboa in a manuscript written
around 1627. The second one was by Pehr Löfling, a disciple of
Linnaeus's who wrote a very detailed and accurate description of this
mammal in 1755. He used the binomial system to designate this
species and his description was much more complete and sophisticated than
the ones used by Linnaeus in the 10th edition Systema Naturae for
other cetaceans. This and other zoological work by Löfling remains
almost completely unexamined to date. Like the outcome of other
fieldwork carried out by many Spanish scientists in America, failure to
publish the findings of the expeditions resulted in
scientific information being largely lost.
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