This project focuses on river dolphin bycatch, specifically on estimating its frequency while working to mitigate its occurrence in the Peruvian Amazon. The use of acoustic alarms (pingers) has been shown to reduce bycatch rates of marine cetaceans.

This project proposes to build upon that progress and apply an innovative version of this technology to the urgent problem of river dolphin bycatch in Amazon net fisheries. The study is important because it will be the first of its kind in Peru to quantify river dolphin interactions with Amazon artisanal fisheries. More generally, it is valuable because it will draw attention to aquatic fauna interactions with the often-overlooked small-scale freshwater fisheries and will show that these fisheries can be effectively monitored.

We will also study river dolphins acoustically using F-Pods (portable acoustic data loggers). This will generate ethological information on both river dolphin species in addition to generating a species classification system that can be used in this and future research.