Fraser's dolphin is found primarily in tropical and subtropical oceanic waters of the world. The majority of records are from 30ºN to 35ºS. Strandings in temperate regions are considered extra-limital and are usually associated with anomalously warm water temperatures (Van Bree et al., Reference Van Bree, Collet, Desportes, Hussenot and Raga1986; Praderi et al., Reference Praderi, Praderi and Garcia1992; Perrin et al., Reference Perrin, Leatherwood, Collet, Ridgway and Harrison1994). The range of this species is well documented only in the eastern and central tropical Pacific (Perrin et al., Reference Perrin, Leatherwood, Collet, Ridgway and Harrison1994) and around the central Visayas, Philippines (Leatherwood et al., Reference Leatherwood, Jefferson, Norris, Stevens, Hansen and Mullin1992). In the south-western Atlantic the species was first recorded in Uruguay, where four specimens were stranded between 8 and 27 March 1991 (Praderi et al., Reference Praderi, Praderi and Garcia1992). According to de Bonis (Reference Bonis1999), approximately 60 Fraser's dolphins were stranded, between 31 August and 3 October 1997, along 250 km of the Uruguayan coast of the La Plata River. In Brazil, Barros et al. (Reference Barros, Silva, Costa, Campos, Oliveira and Meirelles2001) reported a stranding of Lagenodelphis hosei for the north-eastern coast. The major strandings, however, occurred on the south-eastern and southern Brazilian coasts as observed in Moreno et al. (Reference Moreno, Danilewicz, Borges-Martins, Ott, Caon and Oliveira2003) which revised the available information on stranding data for L. hosei along the Brazilian waters, as well as data from analysis of stomach contents and reproductive status during systematic beach surveys of northern Rio Grande do Sul State coast, southern Brazil. In past years, new individual and mass strandings were reported for Brazil (Alvarenga et al., Reference Alvarenga, Vicente, Zampirolli and de Santos2000; Barros et al., Reference Barros, Silva, Costa, Campos, Oliveira and Meirelles2001; Di Beneditto et al., Reference Di Beneditto, Ramos, Siciliano, Santos, Bastos and Fagundes-Netto2001; Pinedo et al., 2001; Van Bressen et al., Reference Van Bressen, Van Waerebeek, Jepson, Raga, Duigman, Nielsen, Di Beneditto, Siciliano, Ramos, Kant, Peddemors, Kinoshita, Ross, López-Fernandez, Evans, Crespo and Barrett2001), Uruguay (Laporta et al., Reference Laporta, Praderi, Le Bas and Crespo2002) and Argentina (Van Bressen et al., Reference Van Bressen, Van Waerebeek, Jepson, Raga, Duigman, Nielsen, Di Beneditto, Siciliano, Ramos, Kant, Peddemors, Kinoshita, Ross, López-Fernandez, Evans, Crespo and Barrett2001). The purpose of this work is to present information about the first stranding of Lagenodelphis hosei for the northern Brazilian coast.

The Maranhão State (01°31′S 45°07′W) is located on the northern coast of Brazil. It presents a very particular area with 640 km of sandy beaches, mangroves and small islands. The east coast, where data were collected, is located close to an environmental protected area (EPA) and a national park.

Maranhão State is a very important source of fish in the north-eastern region. Excluding São Luís (capital city) most of the coastal communities inhabit small villages distributed along the coast, and fishing activities represent the main source of sustainability (Stride, Reference Stride1992).

The Projeto Mamíferos Marinhos do Maranhão—PROMAR, has developed expeditions along the Maranhão coast since 2005 as part of a conservation project to evaluate the potential impacts of fishing nets on cetacean populations as well as the utilization of the meat as a food source. The field activities included visits in the main fishing communities, where posters were given to the population in order to include the community in the research activities and to facilitate the rescues in case of an animal stranding.

During the expeditions to the east coast of Maranhão State, the local community donated some photographs of a L. hosei specimen stranded alive on Caburé Beach on 5 August 2006. The specimen was identified as a Fraser's dolphin through colour patterns and morphological characteristics, such as a well-defined but short beak, small flippers, dorsal fin triangular, small and pointed; tailstock with dorsal and ventral keels and black blue-grey colour (Figure 1). The individual (MAR 036) had an estimated length of 250 cm and a vivid dark black lateral body stripe is presented, especially in males. The width and intensity of the dark stripe from rostrum to anus was diagnostic of an adult specimen (Geraci & Lounsbury, Reference Geraci and Lounsbury2005). No external wounds were observed during the photograph analysis, however, the individual was apparently emaciated, indicating that the dolphin could have presented some pathology. Despite the conservation efforts, the researchers discovered through interviews, that the specimen was used as a food source and bait by the fishermen and the carcass was left in the sea before the researchers' arrival.

Fig. 1.

A Fraser's dolphin stranded at Caburé Beach, east coast of Maranhão. The exposure of the ribs shows that the specimen was not in a good health.

Previous analysis of stomach contents conducted by Moreno et al., Reference Moreno, Danilewicz, Borges-Martins, Ott, Caon and Oliveira2003 on L. hosei stranded in southern Brazil revealed that this species may feed near the shore, which could account for strandings in tropical regions. Despite no wounds being observed, the utilization of shallow waters may be a threat to this species and the impacts of fishing nets can affect this species on the Maranhão coast.

This information indicates that the utilization of cetacean meat is not only affecting coastal species such as Sotalia guianensis, but also oceanic species that may strand on the Maranhão coast. Environmental education must be more intensive in this region, showing the risks (illness) that cetacean meat consumption may hold for human health (Geraci & Lounsbury, Reference Geraci and Lounsbury2005). Despite being the first confirmed report for this species in northern Brazil, the utilization of the Maranhão coast by this species may be common.