The distribution of dolphins of the genus Stenella is poorly known in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. A complete review of records (n = 311) of these dolphin species was performed to describe distribution and habitat. Atlantic spotted dolphins S. frontalis occur in both southern (21 to 33°S) and northern Brazil (north of 06°S), with a hiatus in its distribution off eastern South America. This species presents the highest preference for nearshore habitats, restricted to waters within the 1000 m isobath. Pantropical spotted dolphins S. attenuata are found in tropical waters as far south as 22°S and are mainly observed off northeastern South America. They occur beyond the continental shelf break in depths > 850 m. Clymene dolphins S. clymene are distributed in deep waters (1390 to 4500 m) as far south as 30°S. Strandings are more common where the continental shelf is narrower. Spinner dolphins S. longirostris are found in oceanic waters as far south as 30°S. They inhabit tropical waters over the shelf and slope (depths ranging from 170 to 2700 m). The striped dolphin S. coeruleoalba is the least known species of the genus in the western South Atlantic. Most records are from temperate waters in southern Brazil and Argentina. The distributions of S. attenuata, S. clymene and S. longirostris overlap to a great extent and are predominantly oceanic and associated with warm ocean currents. S. frontalis seems to prefer a different, coastal habitat, influenced both by warm currents and upwelling areas. The discontinuous distribution of this species suggests that an isolated population inhabits the southern coast of Brazil.

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The patterns of habitat use by the franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) along its distribution are poorly known. This study investigates the patterns of habitat use with respect to depth for 181 individuals of different age, size, gender and reproductive condition off Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. The results reveal that franciscanas are very homogeneously distributed according to depth. Individuals from all lengths utilize nearly the entire range of depths of the surveyed area. Larger or older animals do not use deeper waters than younger animals, indicating that body size and age are not limiting factors for franciscanas that occupy deeper or offshore waters. Gestation seems to not cause a change in the distribution of females. Although the sex-ratio of the overall data did not vary from 1:1 in different depth intervals, a small-scale comparison between the northern and southern coast demonstrated the existence of some kind of sexual segregation. Franciscana by-catch in Rio Grande do Sul is not sustainable and it is agreed that management procedures are needed. Nevertheless, the available data on species distribution do not allow the designing of a protected area in order to minimize the by-catches of a particular sex/reproductive class.

The western South Atlantic (WSA) humpback whale population inhabits the coast of Brazil during the breeding and calving season in winter and spring. This population was depleted to near extinction by whaling in the mid-twentieth century. Despite recent signs of recovery, increasing coastal and offshore development pose potential threats to these animals. Therefore, continuous monitoring is needed to assess population status and support conservation strategies. The aim of this work was to present ship-based line-transect estimates of abundance for humpback whales in their WSA breeding ground and to investigate potential changes in population size. Two cruises surveyed the coast of Brazil during August-September in 2008 and 2012. The area surveyed in 2008 corresponded to the currently recognized population breeding area; effort in 2012 was limited due to unfavorable weather conditions. WSA humpback whale population size in 2008 was estimated at 16,410 (CV = 0.228, 95% CI = 10,563–25,495) animals. In order to compare abundance between 2008 and 2012, estimates for the area between Salvador and Cabo Frio, which were consistently covered in the two years, were computed at 15,332 (CV = 0.243, 95% CI = 9,595–24,500) and 19,429 (CV = 0.101, 95% CI = 15,958–23,654) whales, respectively. The difference in the two estimates represents an increase of 26.7% in whale numbers in a 4-year period. The estimated abundance for 2008 is considered the most robust for the WSA humpback whale population because the ship survey conducted in that year minimized bias from various sources. Results presented here indicate that in 2008, the WSA humpback whale population was at least around 60% of its estimated pre-modern whaling abundance and that it may recover to its pre-exploitation size sooner than previously estimated.

The southern right whale (SRW),

The western South Atlantic humpback whale population was severely depleted by commercial whaling in the late 19 th and 20 th centuries, and today inhabits a human-impacted environment in its wintering grounds off the Brazilian coast. Here, we identify distribution patterns related to environmental features and provide new estimates of population size, which can inform future management actions. We fitted spatial models to line transect data from two research cruises conducted in 2008 and 2012 to investigate (1) habitat use and (2) abundance of humpback whales wintering in the Brazilian continental shelf. Potential explanatory variables were year, depth, seabed slope, sea-surface temperature (SST), northing and easting, current speed, wind speed, distance to coastline and to the continental shelf break, and shelter (a combination of wind speed and SST categories). Whale density was higher in slower currents, at shorter distances to both the coastline and shelf break, and at SSTs between 24 and 25°C. The distribution of whales was also strongly related to shelter. For abundance estimation, easting and northing were included in the model instead of SST; estimates were 14,264 whales (CV = 0.084) for 2008 and 20,389 (CV = 0.071) for 2012. Environmental variables explained well the variation in whale density; higher density was found to the south of the Abrolhos Archipelago, and shelter seems to be important for these animals in their breeding area. Estimated distribution patterns presented here can be used to mitigate potential humanrelated impacts, such as supporting protection in the population's core habitat near the Abrolhos Archipelago.