Status and distribution of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus on the Cabo Blanco peninsula (Western Sahara-Mauritania) in 1993–1994

González, Luis Mariano; Aguilar, Àlex; López-Jurado, Luis Felipe; Grau, Eugeni García

doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(96)00146-2

Cited by 33 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Mar Ecol Prog Ser 416: [295][296][297][298][299][300][301][302][303][304][305][306] 2010 cies, such as the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus (González et al 1997), the Atlantic humpback dolphin Sousa teuszii (Van Waerebeek et al 2004) and the African manatee Trichechus senegalensis (Padial & Ibáñez 2005). Mauritania is one of the major African fishing nations and has developed, alongside traditional artisanal fishing, industrial fisheries, becoming one of the major fish exporting African countries (Ababouch 2000).…”

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Available information on the marine mammals of the region is limited to stranding and sighting reports in the case of cetaceans (Duguy 1976, Maigret 1980a,b, 1981, Marchessaux & Campredon 1988, Van Waerebeek et al 1999, although a few demographic parameters are known for Monachus monachus (González et al 1997. Nevertheless, the trophic relationships among the marine apex predators of the region have never been investigated, and their possible interactions with the fisheries operating in the area are largely unknown.…”

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overfishing, overcapacity, habitat degradation and inequitable access agreements have contributed to the decline in catches throughout West Africa (Atta-Mills et al 2004, ter Hofstede & DickeyCollas 2006. Assessing the impact of fisheries on the local ecosystem is of great interest (Jouffre & Inejih 2005) but no studies have been conducted involving marine mammals.Available information on the marine mammals of the region is limited to stranding and sighting reports in the case of cetaceans (Duguy 1976, Maigret 1980a,b, 1981, Marchessaux & Campredon 1988, Van Waerebeek et al 1999, although a few demographic parameters are known for Monachus monachus (González et al 1997. Nevertheless, the trophic relationships among the marine apex predators of the region have never been investigated, and their possible interactions with the fisheries operating in the area are largely unknown.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Stable isotope analysis reveals habitat partitioning among marine mammals off the NW African coast and unique trophic niches for two globally threatened species

Pinela¹,

Borrell²,

Cardona³

et al. 2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Stable isotope abundances of carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) in the bone of 13 species of marine mammals from the northwest coast of Africa were investigated to assess their positions in the local trophic web and their preferred habitats. Also, samples of primary producers and potential prey species from the study area were collected to characterise the local isotopic landscape. This characterisation indicated that δ 13 C values increased from offshore to nearshore and that δ 15 N was a good proxy for trophic level. Therefore, the most coastal species were Monachus monachus and Sousa teuszii, whereas the most pelagic were Physeter macrocephalus and Balaenoptera acutorostrata. δ 15 N values indicated that marine mammals located at the lowest trophic level were B. acutorostrata, Stenella coeruleoalba and Delphinus sp., and those occupying the highest trophic level were M. monachus and P. macrocephalus. The trophic level of Orcinus orca was similar to that of M. monachus, suggesting that O. orca preys on fish. Conservation of coastal and threatened species (M. monachus and S. teuszii ) off NW Africa should be a priority because these species, as the main apex predators, cannot be replaced by other marine mammals. KEY WORDS: Marine mammals · Stable isotopes · Trophic ecology · Habitat use · NW Africa Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 416: [295][296][297][298][299][300][301][302][303][304][305][306] 2010 cies, such as the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus (González et al. 1997), the Atlantic humpback dolphin Sousa teuszii (Van Waerebeek et al. 2004) and the African manatee Trichechus senegalensis (Padial & Ibáñez 2005). Mauritania is one of the major African fishing nations and has developed, alongside traditional artisanal fishing, industrial fisheries, becoming one of the major fish exporting African countries (Ababouch 2000). Overfishing, overcapacity, habitat degradation and inequitable access agreements have contributed to the decline in catches throughout West Africa (Atta-Mills et al. 2004, ter Hofstede & DickeyCollas 2006. Assessing the impact of fisheries on the local ecosystem is of great interest (Jouffre & Inejih 2005) but no studies have been conducted involving marine mammals.Available information on the marine mammals of the region is limited to stranding and sighting reports in the case of cetaceans (Duguy 1976, Maigret 1980a,b, 1981, Marchessaux & Campredon 1988, Van Waerebeek et al. 1999, although a few demographic parameters are known for Monachus monachus (González et al. 1997. Nevertheless, the trophic relationships among the marine apex predators of the region have never been investigated, and their possible interactions with the fisheries operating in the area are largely unknown.The methods traditionally used in the study of the trophic ecology of marine mammals have been faecal or stomach-content analyses. These methods present limitations because they only show recently eaten prey, and results can be se...

show abstract

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Stable isotope analysis reveals habitat partitioning among marine mammals off the NW African coast and unique trophic niches for two globally threatened species

Pinela¹,

Borrell²,

Cardona³

et al. 2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The recovery might somehow be interpreted as the success of the different measures taken to aid the recovery of the colony in recent years (see González 2006). Probably the most important measure has been the improvement of an effective no-take fisheries zone by the Moroccan authorities, regular surveillance of the coast and marine patrolling, and the seal awareness of fishermen and inhabitants of the area around the main colonies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Individuals of the Atlantic populations breed regularly only along the west coast of Cabo Blanco (Mauritania/Morocco) and in the Madeira archipelago (Desertas Island). The Cabo Blanco population is the largest known breeding colony of the Mediterranean monk seal (González et al 1997, González 2006. In 1997, however, Forcada et al (1999) documented a two-third reduction in the size of Cabo Blanco population due to a massive increase in mortality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population resilience of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus at Cabo Blanco peninsula

Martínez‐Jauregui¹,

Tavecchia²,

Cedenilla³

et al. 2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Environmental and demographic stochasticity alone can push small populations to extinction. However, some small populations can persist for a long time at a low density, maintaining potential for rapid growth. We investigated the demographic mechanisms underlying the response of the population of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus on the Cabo Blanco peninsula (Mauritania/Morocco). The population was dramatically reduced after a demographic crash in 1997, which was initially thought to have pushed the population toward extinction. Census data, individual-based data on presence−absence and breeding state data were obtained by direct observation, by photo-identification and through the analysis of video images at the only known breeding sites for the species. We found that the monk seal population at Cabo Blanco is recovering, with means of 31 (24.8, 36.8) sub-adults, 46 (42.3, 49.7) adult females and 39 (29.1, 48.4) adult males using the 2 breeding sites in 2007. The population structure is similar to proportions prior to the mass mortality event. Annual survival probabilities for sub-adults, adult females and adult males were 0.81 (0.676 to 0.904), 0.99 (0.926 to 0.998) and 0.87 (0.81 to 0.94), respectively. At present, juvenile survival is unknown, but the high survival of females and the high breeding potential are likely to be responsible for the population recovery.

show abstract

The Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) in the Aegean Sea. “The Living Myth of the Sirens”

Dendrinos

Adamantopoulou

Tounta

et al. 2022

The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Status and distribution of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus on the Cabo Blanco peninsula (Western Sahara-Mauritania) in 1993–1994

Cited by 33 publications

References 2 publications

Stable isotope analysis reveals habitat partitioning among marine mammals off the NW African coast and unique trophic niches for two globally threatened species

Stable isotope analysis reveals habitat partitioning among marine mammals off the NW African coast and unique trophic niches for two globally threatened species

Population resilience of the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus at Cabo Blanco peninsula

The Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) in the Aegean Sea. “The Living Myth of the Sirens”

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About