295
much like other pollutants in rendering habitats unsuitable. Because of the potentially harmful effects of noise, the International Whaling Commission (1995) and
International Fund for Animal Welfare (1996) have recognized boat-based whale
watching as potentially detrimental to cetaceans and their environment and have
developed guidelines in an attempt to reduce the impact of the industry.
In Costa Rica, several coastal communities have become economically dependent
on whale-watching activities. For instance the communities of Sierpe, Uvita, and
Drake located in the South Pacific coast of Costa Rica specialize in taking tourists
to observe humpback whales that arrived from the southern hemisphere from August
to November. In Panama, whale watching activities occur near Isla Contadora,
Archipelago de Las Perlas, and Isla Iguana to name a few areas off the Pacific coast,
but the most active whale watching activities in Panama occurs in the Archipelago
of Bocas del Toro, located in north Caribbean coast of Panama, where resident
bottlenose dolphins are the main target (May-Collado et al. 2012, 2014, 2015).
While both countries have developed regulations for whale watching operators to
reduce the impact of the activity, these guidelines emphasize the regulation of distance at which boats can approach the animals. However there is growing evidence
that engine and propeller noise are the main causes of disturbance (e.g., Morisaka
et al. 2005; Nowacek et al. 2001; May-Collado and Wartzok 2008), highlighting the
importance of designing experiments that allow to measure noise levels and incorporate this information into local regulations (IWC 1995; IFAW 1996).
Despite their economic value, some cetaceans remain affected by incidental mortality in artisanal fisheries and purse-seine tuna fishery in Costa Rican waters. In
Costa Rica dolphin estimates of annual mortality rates due to artisanal fisheries is
about 9.5% of the population size for all small cetaceans combined (Palacios and
Gerrodette 1996). Anthropogenic mortality rates should not exceed 1–2% of population size, based on the low reproductive rate of cetaceans (Perrin et al. 1994; IWC
1996). In addition, anecdotal information indicates the direct killing of small dolphins for shark bait in both the Pacific and Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, and it has
been documented in Guatemala as well by Quintana-Rizzo (2014). The frequency of
these incidents and the number of animals being killed is unknown at this moment.
Historically, whaling in Panamanian waters occurred between 1883 and 1886. The
Gay Head, a commercial whaling vessel from New Bedford, visited the Gulf of Panama
three times, capturing and processing a total of 50 humpback whales (Best 2008). This
is the first reference of the presence of commercial whaling in the coast of Panama. In
addition, the Olympic Challenger, a Norwegian factory vessel registered in Panama,
was proved to be involve in “pirate whaling” (Birnie 1985) in Panamanian waters.
The impact of both historical and current killing of cetaceans is unknown largely
because it occurs far from the coast and under great secrecy. However, this is a
source of mortality that needs to be addressed and taken into account in future models along with incidental mortality to better assess the impact of these activities in
the local cetacean populations.
In this Chapter we will provide a summary of the state of knowledge of the ecology
and conservation status of the cetaceans of Costa Rica and Panama. Along this line, we
will identify what our small scientific community considers are the most important threats
to these animals and their habitat, highlighting recommendations for their conservation.
12 Ecology and Conservation of Cetaceans of Costa Rica and Panama
much like other pollutants in rendering habitats unsuitable. Because of the potentially harmful effects of noise, the International Whaling Commission (1995) and
International Fund for Animal Welfare (1996) have recognized boat-based whale
watching as potentially detrimental to cetaceans and their environment and have
developed guidelines in an attempt to reduce the impact of the industry.
In Costa Rica, several coastal communities have become economically dependent
on whale-watching activities. For instance the communities of Sierpe, Uvita, and
Drake located in the South Pacific coast of Costa Rica specialize in taking tourists
to observe humpback whales that arrived from the southern hemisphere from August
to November. In Panama, whale watching activities occur near Isla Contadora,
Archipelago de Las Perlas, and Isla Iguana to name a few areas off the Pacific coast,
but the most active whale watching activities in Panama occurs in the Archipelago
of Bocas del Toro, located in north Caribbean coast of Panama, where resident
bottlenose dolphins are the main target (May-Collado et al. 2012, 2014, 2015).
While both countries have developed regulations for whale watching operators to
reduce the impact of the activity, these guidelines emphasize the regulation of distance at which boats can approach the animals. However there is growing evidence
that engine and propeller noise are the main causes of disturbance (e.g., Morisaka
et al. 2005; Nowacek et al. 2001; May-Collado and Wartzok 2008), highlighting the
importance of designing experiments that allow to measure noise levels and incorporate this information into local regulations (IWC 1995; IFAW 1996).
Despite their economic value, some cetaceans remain affected by incidental mortality in artisanal fisheries and purse-seine tuna fishery in Costa Rican waters. In
Costa Rica dolphin estimates of annual mortality rates due to artisanal fisheries is
about 9.5% of the population size for all small cetaceans combined (Palacios and
Gerrodette 1996). Anthropogenic mortality rates should not exceed 1–2% of population size, based on the low reproductive rate of cetaceans (Perrin et al. 1994; IWC
1996). In addition, anecdotal information indicates the direct killing of small dolphins for shark bait in both the Pacific and Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, and it has
been documented in Guatemala as well by Quintana-Rizzo (2014). The frequency of
these incidents and the number of animals being killed is unknown at this moment.
Historically, whaling in Panamanian waters occurred between 1883 and 1886. The
Gay Head, a commercial whaling vessel from New Bedford, visited the Gulf of Panama
three times, capturing and processing a total of 50 humpback whales (Best 2008). This
is the first reference of the presence of commercial whaling in the coast of Panama. In
addition, the Olympic Challenger, a Norwegian factory vessel registered in Panama,
was proved to be involve in “pirate whaling” (Birnie 1985) in Panamanian waters.
The impact of both historical and current killing of cetaceans is unknown largely
because it occurs far from the coast and under great secrecy. However, this is a
source of mortality that needs to be addressed and taken into account in future models along with incidental mortality to better assess the impact of these activities in
the local cetacean populations.
In this Chapter we will provide a summary of the state of knowledge of the ecology
and conservation status of the cetaceans of Costa Rica and Panama. Along this line, we
will identify what our small scientific community considers are the most important threats
to these animals and their habitat, highlighting recommendations for their conservation.
12 Ecology and Conservation of Cetaceans of Costa Rica and Panama