Parámetros poblacionales del calderón gris (Grampus griseus) en Fuerteventura, Islas Canarias

Abstract

Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus, Odontoceti) observations in the Canary Islands are common throughout the year. Information about the abundance and ecology of this species at the archipelago is scarce, although there are indications of a resident population at the eastern islands. Here we present data on the presence of this species at the north of Fuerteventura, gathered from an opportunistic platform, the whale watching vessel ICENAi, during six months (August 2016 to February 2017). The study area includes the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Sebadales de Corralejo. Photo-identification was carried out to create a catalog of 130 individuals identified within the study area. A preliminary capture-recapture analysis provides a best estimate of 155 individuals (CI 95% 115 to 361) in the study area north of Fuerteventura; these are the first preliminary results on population density of Risso’s dolphin in a local area of the Canary islands.