Conserving cetaceans and manatees in the western African region

Contents Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1 Reinventing the whale…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2 Status and distribution of small cetaceans and manatees in western Africa and Macaronesia ………………….6 The small-cetacean fauna of the west coast of Africa and Macaronesia: Diversity and distribution………………7 Inventory and status of cetaceans in Guinea ………………………………………………………………………………………..18 Survey for the conservation status of small cetaceans in Ghanaian coastal waters …………………………………..24 Marine mammals sightings off the Angolan coast recorded from the R/V Dr. Frijtdof Nansen in August 2004 and July 2005……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..26 Some data on the presence of cetaceans in Togo’s marine waters………………………………………………………….31 The humpback whale, West African manatee and dolphins are potential resources of nature tourism in Benin …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………34 Threats to small cetaceans and manatees…………………………………………………………………………………………..37 The West African manatee: A flagship wetland species in decline…………………………………………………………..38 Cetaceans in the Macaronesia region (Eastern Central Atlantic Ocean) and threats faced in the Canary Islands …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………41 The strandings of cetaceans along the Mauritanian Coast……………………………………………………………………..50 Status of small cetaceans and manatees on the coast of Cameroon and threats to conservation……………….52 Rapid assessment of marine mammal and sea turtle mortality in small-scale fisheries……………………………..59 Conservation action………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….63 Towards the establishment of a Marine Protected Area for cetaceans in Macaronesia……………………………..64 Sub-regional action plan for the conservation of cetaceans in western Africa ………………………………………….69 Awareness-raising: Year of the Dolphin in Kenya ………………………………………………………………………………….71 Sustainable whale-watching tourism………………………………………………………………………………………………….75 Regulation of whale-watching tourism in Spain…………………………………………………………………………………….76 Building the ground for whale watching management: Lessons from a “best practice” perspective at La Gomera, Canary Islands……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..80 Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS): “Our role in sustainable whale-watching” ……………………84