The absence of the dolphin Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821) in the Gulf of Fonseca, El Salvador

Abstract

Tursiops truncatus was a common cetacean in different zones within the national territory in the gulf of Fonseca. However, sightings of this species are null after 2015-2016. Some possible causes of this disappearance are proposed and analyzed, such as port infrastructure development, food availability reduction, negative effects from wastewater discharges, noise, diseases, and hunting. The latter three factors might be associated to this absence.