Angola

Angola

International or regional conventions

Angola is not a member of the International Whaling Commission, but it is a member/signatory to the following international or regional Conventions related to cetacean conservation:

• Convention on Migratory Species (since 2006)
• The Abidjan convention
• Memorandum of Understanding concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia

Confirmed observations

(Taken from Weir and Collins, 2015) “Although Angola has over 1600 km of coastline, confirmed sightings of Atlantic humpback dolphins have only been reported from a 35 km stretch of coast in Namibe Province (~15°30’ S; Weir, 2009; Figure 3H). This region currently marks the southern known distribution of the species.” Photo-identification studies generated a population estimate of 10 individuals in the Namibe Province (Weir, 2009), where artisanal gillnet fisheries were prevalent and thought to present a threat (Weir 2011), although no confirmed records of bycatch are available.

Threats and trends

No abundance estimates or information on threats are available for this country.

Report

Report a sighting or stranding to the first contact listed below or by emailing info@sousateuszii.org

Contact person

CCAHD partners in Angola include  Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Agostinho Neto University and the Kissama Foundation, who collaborate on two projects – the Kitabanga Project which focuses on marine turtles, and the Wambi project, focusing on whales and dolphins.

For more information contact Michel Morais: dikunji@yahoo.com.br

Relevant country-specific references

1. Collins, T., 2015. Re-assessment of the Conservation Status of the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (Sousa teuszii), Using the IUCN Red List Criteria. In Advances in marine biology Volume 72, pp. 47-77). Academic Press.
2. Van Waerebeek, K., Barnett, L., Camara, A., Cham, A., Diallo, M., Djiba, A., Jallow, A.O., Ndiaye, E., Bilal, A.O. and Bamy, I.L., 2004. Distribution, status, and biology of the Atlantic humpback dolphin, Sousa teuszii (Kukenthal, 1892). Aquatic Mammals, 30(1), pp.56-83.
3. Weir, C. 2009. Distribution, behaviour and photo-identification of Atlantic humpback dolphins Sousa teuszii off Flamingos, Angola. African Journal of Marine Science 31(3):319-331.
4. Weir, C. R. 2008. Occurrence and distribution of cetaceans off northern Angola, 2004/05. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 9:225-239.
5. Weir, C. R. 2010a. Cetaceans observed in the coastal waters of Namibe Province, Angola, during summer and winter 2008. Marine Biodiversity Records 3:e27.
6. Weir, C. R. 2010b. First description of Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii) whistles, recorded off Angola. Bioacoustics 19:211-224. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2010.9753625
7. Weir, C. R. 2019. The Cetaceans (Whales and Dolphins) of Angola. In: B. J. Huntley, V. Russo, F. Lages and N. Ferrand, editors, Biodiversity of Angola: Science & Conservation: A Modern Synthesis. Springer International Publishing, Cham. p. 445-470.
8. Weir, C. R., and T. Collins. 2015. A Review of the Geographical Distribution and Habitat of the Atlantic Humpback Dolphin (Sousa teuszii). In: T. A. Jefferson and B. C. Curry, editors, Advances in Marine Biology Volume 72. Advances in Marine Biology No. Volume 72. Academic Press. p. 79-117.
9. Weir, C. R., K. Van Waerebeek, T. A. Jefferson, and T. Collins. 2010. Challenges and priorities for the conservation of the Vulnerable Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii), with a case study from Namibe Province, Angola. SC/62/SM6, International Whaling Commission.