Portuguese Sealing and Whaling Activities as Contributions to Understand Early Northeast Atlantic Environmental History of Marine Mammals

Brito, Cristina

doi:10.5772/54213

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…, Trantalidou ). Commercial exploitation was particularly intense during the Middle Ages in Madeira, the Canary Islands, and the Bay of Dakhla in Western Sahara (Brito , González ). During the last two centuries, negative interactions with fishermen and growing human encroachment in coastal areas have resulted in the disappearance of the species from most of its former range (Kovacs et al .…”

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Insights from 180 years of mitochondrial variability in the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)

Gaubert

Justy

Mο

et al. 2019

Marine Mammal Science

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Mediterranean monk seals (MMS) are among the most endangered marine mammals on Earth. We screened mitochondrial variability (control region [CR1] and mitogenomes) of the species through a 180‐yr timeframe and extended by 20% (n = 205) the number of samples from a previous investigation, including historical specimens from 1833 to 1975. Although we detected two new, rare CR1 haplotypes, genetic diversity remained extremely low. Fully resolved haplotype median network and rarefaction analysis both suggested low probability for further unscreened haplotypes. There was no clear phylogeographic structure across the 12 marine subdivisions covered by the species’ range. Haplotypes previously considered diagnostic of the extant North Atlantic and eastern Mediterranean populations had their distributions extended into the western Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, respectively, by both historical and recent samples. Our study suggests that MMS have been genetically depauperate since at least the mid‐19th century, and that the massive 1997 die‐off in Western Sahara (North Atlantic) could have caused local haplotype extinctions. Our results support the hypothesis of past metapopulation dynamics across the species range, where the current segregation into geographically distant and genetically depauperate breeding populations (i.e., North Atlantic and eastern Mediterranean Sea) derives from the combined effects of historical extinctions, genetic drift on small breeding groups, and persistently low levels of genetic diversity.

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Insights from 180 years of mitochondrial variability in the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)

Gaubert

Justy

Mο

et al. 2019

Marine Mammal Science

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“…). The species was hunted for oil and skin and because it caused damage to fisheries (Brito ). In the 19th and 20th centuries, records indicate that eight monk seals were killed by fishermen, nine were killed for museum collections in 1890–1931, and three were captured for zoos in 1882–1910.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In the Atlantic, the species was formerly found along the northwestern coast of Africa up to Mauritania, and in the Macaronesia archipelagoes, with at least four colonies located in Dakhla Bay in the Western Sahara, Santa Maria Island in the Azores, the Madeira Islands, and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands (Monod , Machado , Hernández , Marchessaux , Silva et al . , Brito ). However, more populations are thought to have existed, as indicated by toponyms (Monod ).…”

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confidence: 98%

“…In the Mediterranean during the 20th century, the species was extirpated from mainland France and Corsica, Spain and the Balearic Islands, Italy and the Tuscan archipelago and Sardinia, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, and Tunisia (Sergeant et al 1978, Marchessaux 1989, Johnson et al 2006). In the Atlantic, the species was formerly found along the northwestern coast of Africa up to Mauritania, and in the Macaronesia archipelagoes, with at least four colonies located in Dakhla Bay in the Western Sahara, Santa Maria Island in the Azores, the Madeira Islands, and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands (Monod 1948, Machado 1979, Hern andez 1986, Marchessaux 1989, Silva et al 2009, Brito 2012). However, more populations are thought to have existed, as indicated by toponyms (Monod 1932).…”

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Prehistoric and historic distributions of the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) in the eastern Atlantic

González

2015

Marine Mammal Science

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The present Atlantic range of the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus), a critically endangered species, comprises two populations in the Desertas Islands and Cape Blanco region. The species is currently the subject of an action plan that encourages the recolonization of its former range. I investigated their causes of its disappearance using species records from paleo-archeological sites and historical sightings/toponyms. I hypothesize that the species' prehistoric range extended from the continental coasts of North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula, an area larger than its current known range. It is further hypothesized that the historic range included at least 13 colonies, seven more than the present number; and that the original optimal breeding habitat was open beaches, while sea caves were a suboptimal, marginal habitat. It is suggested that hunting and the disappearance of two islands due to a historical tsunami event explain the disappearance of the other populations, leaving only those at the Desertas Islands and Cape Blanco that were sheltered in sea caves. Furthermore, the use of sea caves, in conjunction with effective legal protection in the 20th century, explains the present-day survival of these Atlantic colonies of M. monachus.

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“…Monk seals have been exploited by humans since prehistoric times (Johnson & Lavigne 1999a, Johnson 2004, Stringer et al 2008. Exploitation was particularly intense during the Roman era (Johnson & Lavigne 1999a) and in certain areas, such as the Madeira and Canary Islands and the Bay of Dhakla in Western Sahara, during the Middle Ages, when Mediterranean monk seals were commercially exploited (Isräels 1992, Johnson 2004, Brito 2012, González 2015. The species continued to be heavily persecuted by fishermen for most of the 20th century, which led to its disappearance from most of its former range.…”

Section: Distribution and Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus: status, biology, threats, and conservation priorities

Karamanlidis

Dendrinos

Larrinoa³

et al. 2015

Mammal Review

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The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is the most endangered seal species. In this review we summarize the status, ecology, and behaviour of the Mediterranean monk seal, and identify the main threats that currently affect the species and the conservation priorities for securing its survival. Once abundant throughout the Black Sea and Mediterranean, as well as off the Atlantic coasts of northwestern Africa and Macaronesia, the Mediterranean monk seal has recently suffered dramatic declines, both in abundance and geographical range. It is now estimated that fewer than 700 individuals survive in three or four isolated subpopulations in the eastern and western Mediterranean, the archipelago of Madeira and the Cabo Blanco area in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Mediterranean monk seals are coastal marine mammals. When resting and pupping on land, individuals generally seek refuge in inaccessible marine caves; this behaviour is, in part, believed to be an adaptation to increased disturbance by humans. Larger aggregations or colonies of the species can now be found only at Cabo Blanco in the Atlantic Ocean and on the island of Gyaros in the eastern Mediterranean. The main threats to the survival of the Mediterranean monk seal are habitat deterioration; deliberate killing, mainly by fishermen; and accidental entanglement and drowning in fishing gear. Limited availability of food sources and stochastic and unusual events have occasionally also contributed to Mediterranean monk seal mortality. Based on a common consensus among scientists and conservationists, the main conservation priorities for the monk seal are: habitat protection; mitigating negative interactions between seals and fisheries; scientific research and monitoring of local seal populations; education and public awareness campaigns; and rescue and rehabilitation of wounded, sick, and orphaned seals.

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Portuguese Sealing and Whaling Activities as Contributions to Understand Early Northeast Atlantic Environmental History of Marine Mammals

Cited by 10 publications

References 29 publications

Insights from 180 years of mitochondrial variability in the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)

Insights from 180 years of mitochondrial variability in the endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus)

Prehistoric and historic distributions of the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) in the eastern Atlantic

The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus: status, biology, threats, and conservation priorities

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