Conservation status:

Extinction

            Extinct

            Extinct in the wild

Threatened

            Critically endangered

            Endangered

            Vulnerable

            Threatened

Lower risk

            Conservation dependent

            Near threatened

            Least concern

            Domesticated

Data deficient

(according to IUCN)


In the mid-1980s, hundreds of individuals were killed annually off the coasts of New Zealand due to incidental catches. These rates appear to have declined thanks to tighter regulations on the fishing industry. En Argentina, about 100 - 200 individuals die annually in midwater trawls. In Peruvian waters, in addition to accidental catches, the deliberate catching via nets and harpoons continues, killing annually thousands of individuals for their meat.

The actual worldwide population status is not sure due to lack of study. Although scientists suppose that they are abundant, the IUCN (World Conservation Union) lists this species as ‘data deficient’. At the same time, the ‘Red Book’ of Argentina (SAREM - Argentine Association for the Study of Mammals) considers this species as under ‘least concern’ and ‘conservation dependent’. It is also listed at the Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna). Moreover, the dusky dolphin is protected by the International Whaling Commission and by the International Convention of Migrating Species of Wild Fauna.

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