Marine debris ingestion and human impacts on the Pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) in southern Brazil

Renata Brentano; Maria Virginia Petry

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110595

Marine debris ingestion and human impacts on the Pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) in southern Brazil

Mar Pollut Bull. 2020 Jan:150:110595. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110595. Epub 2019 Oct 25.

Authors

Renata Brentano¹, Maria Virginia Petry²

Affiliations

¹ Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS, Avenida Unisinos, 950, Bairro Cristo Rei, São Leopoldo, 93.022-750, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address: renata.brentano2014@gmail.com.
² Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos - UNISINOS, Avenida Unisinos, 950, Bairro Cristo Rei, São Leopoldo, 93.022-750, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address: vpetry@unisinos.br.

PMID: 31669712
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110595

Abstract

Pygmy sperm whales, Kogia breviceps (Kogiidae), are a small cetacean that inhabits Mesopelagic regions near the continental shelf. In this study we present record of plastic ingestion by K. breviceps in Brazil. In August 2010 on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, a carcass was found showing evidences of interaction with fishing nets. The stomach content was collected for the analysis of food items, but the presence of four plastics weighing 55.9 g was found. In addition, the analysis of food items revealed the presence of the fish Merluccius hubbsi, which is an intensely explored species by fisheries activities in southern Brazil. Merluccius sp. is common in the diet of K. breviceps in several regions of the planet. This work shows that in southern Brazil, K. breviceps suffers intense impact of both ingestion of anthropic material and fisheries, and so must be closely monitored.

Keywords: Accidental ingestion; Anthropogenic impacts; Diet; Fisheries; Marine mammals; Plastic.

MeSH terms

Animals
Brazil
Environmental Monitoring*
Fisheries*
Humans
Plastics
Waste Products*
Whales / physiology*

Substances

Plastics
Waste Products