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Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

International or regional conventions

Sierra Leone is NOT yet a member/signatory to the International Whaling Commission or the Convention on Migratory species. However, it is a party to the The Abidjan convention.

Confirmed observations

Prior to 2024, there were no known records of Sousa teuszii from Sierra Leone. It was not known whether this reflects a true gap in the species’ distribution between the Republic of Guinea and Togo, or whether the species is present but has not been reported due to lack of dedicated cetacean survey effort. There is a possible but unconfirmed record of the species in an interview survey of bycatch reported by Moore et al. 2010.  In June, 2024, the first record came to light, reported by the West Africa Blue project that was working in the Sherbro Estuary. See this CCAHD post for more details: https://www.sousateuszii.org/2024/07/19/first-confirmed-records-of-atlantic-humpback-dolphins-in-sierra-leone/

Threats and trends

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

Report

Report a sighting or stranding by emailing info@sousateuszii.org

Contact person

Max Mayer, West Africa Blue

mayer@westafricablue.org

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. Moore, J. E., T. M. Cox, R. L. Lewison, A. Read, R. Bjorkland, S. L. McDonald, L. B. Crowder, E. Aruna, I. Ayissi, P. Espeut, C. Joynson-Hicks, N. Pilcher, C. Poonian, B. Solarin, and J. Kiszka. 2010. An interview-based approach to assess marine mammal and sea turtle captures in artisanal fisheries. Biological Conservation 143:795-805.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.