A note on the occurrence and status of cetaceans in Togo

Eight cetacean species are here reported to occur in Togo’s coastal waters and all are newly recorded mammals for the country: Megaptera novaeangliae, Balaenoptera brydei, Balaenoptera cf. bonaerensis, Physeter macrocephalus, Stenella attenuata, Delphinus sp., Globicephala cf. macrorhynchus and Orcinus orca. Much of artisanal fisheries in Togolese waters are dominated by Ghanaian fishermen who have the habit of selling cetacean catches as a food product. Because the landing of cetaceans is illegal in Togo which is actively enforced in the main fishing centres, cetacean landings occur covertly and cannot be monitored, quantified nor sampled. Significant pollution of the marine habitat by heavy metals, possibly affecting cetaceans, consists in phosphorites mining in the coastal basin near Hahotoé and Kpogamé. Note that Sousa teuszii were not reported from this study.