South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) attending chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) commercial trawl fisheries over the Patagonian Shelf: a first report

SECO PON JUAN PABLO; FAVERO MARCO

THE LATIN AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AQUATIC MAMMALS

THE LATIN AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AQUATIC MAMMALS

Año: 2015 p. 48 - 51

1676-7497

On innumerable occasions, sea lions and killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been observed in close proximity to fishing activities and their attendance have been reported for almost all fisheries globally (see review in Jefferson et al., 1991). In particular, the South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) is the species of pinniped most frequently observed along the Argentine coast, with numerous rookeries located in Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands (Bastida and Rodríguez, 2003). The diet of South American sea lions is based mainly on fish, squid and crustaceans depending on local abundance1,2 (Koen-Alonso et al., 2000; Suarez et al., 2005; Romero et al., 2011; Bustos et al., 2012). While studying the abundance of pelagic seabirds attending commercial trawl fisheries we conducted observations to quantify the number of contacts (and fate) of birds with fishing gear from stern commercial ice-trawlers (?freshies?) operating within waters of the Patagonian Shelf (Favero et al., 2011).