Page "Cetacean bycatch" Paragraph 11

The Burmeister's porpoise ( Phocoena spinipinnis ) is one of three cetaceans that are most often bycaught in Peru and Chile.

Several thousand porpoises are caught each year in Peru alone.

Bycatch is a frequent occurrence for this species because of the inability to detect them in the water.

Surveys have shown that bycatch remains a concern in that area today and it is unknown whether or not the population is declining.

Data, conservation measures and awareness are lacking.

These porpoises are cryptic making surveying a challenge.

It is also difficult to estimate bycatch because the sale of porpoise meat is no longer available at markets.