Segniagbeto Gabriel H, VAN Waerebeek Koen, Bowessidjaou Joseph E, Ketoh Koffivi, Kpatcha Takouda K, Okoumassou Kotchikpa, Ahoedo Kossi
Department of Zoology and Animal Biology, University of Lomé, Lomé, Togo; Agbo-Zegué, Togolese Society for Nature Conservation, Lomé, Togo.
Integr Zool. 2014 Jan;9(1):1-13. doi: 10.1111/1749-4877.12011.
Based on strandings and captures, 9 cetacean species, including 6 odontocetes and 3 mysticetes, are documented (photos and specimens) in Togo's coastal waters (newly-recorded species marked with an asterisk): Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis*), Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei or B. edeni), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps*), short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus*), pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata*), common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and common dolphin Delphinus sp. An anecdotal sighting record for killer whale (Orcinus orca) is considered reliable. The lack of Sousa teuszii records in Togo is consistent with its apparent contemporaneous absence in Ghana. The B. bonaerensis specimen, entangled in a purse seine set on small pelagics, is a first record for the Gulf of Guinea. The occurrence of this Southern Ocean species north of the equator underscores the severe gaps in our understanding of cetacean distribution off western Africa. The majority of artisanal fishermen operating in Togolese coastal waters are of Ghanaian origin and are thought to promote trade and consumption of cetacean bushmeat. Because captures are illegal, enforced with some success in the main fishing centers, covert landings of cetaceans are exceedingly difficult to monitor, quantify or sample. Concern is expressed about pollution of Togo's coastal waters with heavy metals due to phosphorite mining and export from the coastal basin near Hahotoé and Kpogamé.
根据搁浅和捕获情况，多哥沿海水域记录了9种鲸类动物（有照片和标本），包括6种齿鲸和3种须鲸（新记录物种标有星号）：南极小须鲸（Balaenoptera bonaerensis*）、布氏鲸（Balaenoptera brydei或B. edeni）、座头鲸（Megaptera novaeangliae）、抹香鲸（Physeter macrocephalus）、侏儒抹香鲸（Kogia breviceps*）、短鳍领航鲸（Globicephala macrorhynchus*）、泛热带斑海豚（Stenella attenuata*）、宽吻海豚（Tursiops truncatus）和普通海豚Delphinus sp.。虎鲸（Orcinus orca）的一则传闻目击记录被认为是可靠的。多哥没有糙齿海豚（Sousa teuszii）记录，这与它在加纳明显同时不存在的情况一致。被困在用于捕捞小型中上层鱼类的围网中的南极小须鲸标本，是几内亚湾的首次记录。这种南大洋物种出现在赤道以北，凸显了我们对西非沿海鲸类动物分布的严重认知空白。在多哥沿海水域作业的大多数个体渔民来自加纳，据信他们推动了鲸类动物丛林肉的贸易和消费。由于捕获是非法的，尽管在主要渔业中心执法取得了一些成功，但鲸类动物的秘密上岸极难监测、量化或取样。人们对哈霍托埃和科加梅附近沿海盆地的磷矿开采和出口导致多哥沿海水域受到重金属污染表示担忧。
