We are delighted to share our recent publication in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology on "Behavioral repertoire of Lahille’s bottlenose dolphins that interact with artisanal fishers".

Abstract

Many human cultures involve positive interactions with wildlife in the past and present. Lahille’s bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops gephyreus), for example, have developed tactics for coastal and estuarine foraging, which sustains a fishing practice known as “cooperative fshing” by traditional fishers in estuaries of southern Brazil. Here, we use aerial footage to describe the behavioral repertoire of the Lahille’s bottlenose dolphins and how it relates to the frequency of net casting by fishers in the Tramandaí Inlet. From nearly 8 h of footage from June 2017 to May 2018, we mainly observed dolphins foraging in the estuary inlet when fishers were present along the shoreline. Dolphins performed at least 27 clearly distinct behaviors and three types of movement patterns. A generalized additive model supported that the fshers interpret a subset of this repertoire (64%) as cues for casting their nets. The behavioral overview of the Lahille’s bottlenose dolphins presented here demonstrates not only a diverse repertoire for this population, but also its clear infuence on fshers’ activities. Scientific and traditional perspectives should be integrated to better understand the ecological significance of this “cooperative fshing” for both dolphin populations and fishers that depend on them.  
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