Summary
A study was conducted on observed interactions between a Portuguese purse-seine fishery and cetaceans. Cetaceans, primarily common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), were present during 16.9% of fishing events. The majority of these occurrences happened during the summer and early fall, and during the night. The presence of cetaceans was significantly linked to sardine catches, effort and latitude/longitude. Encirclement of cetaceans occurred in 2.3% of fishing events, with moralities occurring in 1%. Common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) were all encircled, with moralities only recorded for common dolphins. Estimated annual mortality rates for the common dolphin are 113 individuals.