Yká Ulu IMMA
Size in Square Kilometres
70 106 km2
Qualifying Species and Criteria
Peale’s dolphin – Lagenorhynchus australis
Criterion B(2); C (2)
Dusky dolphin – Lagenorhynchus obscurus
Criterion B(1); C (1, 2)
South American sea lion – Otaria byronia
Criterion B (2); C (1,2)
South American Fur Seal – Arctocephalus australis
Criterion B(2); C (1,2)
Hourglass dolphin – Lagenorhynchus cruciger
Long-finned pilot whale – Globicephala melas edwardii
Criterion C (2)
Marine Mammal Diversity
Criterion D (2)
Lagenorhynchus australis, Lagenorhynchus obscurus, Otaria byronia, Arctocephalus australis, Megaptera novaeangliae, Orcinus orca, Lagenorhynchus cruciger, Globicephala melas edwardii, Physeter macrocephalus, Balaenoptera borealis, Balaenoptera physalus, Balaenoptera bonaerensis, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Mirounga leonina
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Summary
This IMMA includes the south-east part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the Burdwood Bank and surrounding waters at the southern tip of the south American continent. In this area, water masses from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current converge. The presence of more than 20 species of marine mammals have been reported in this region through records of sightings. Of these, two species of dolphins (the Peale’s dolphin Lagenorhynchus australis and the dusky dolphin L. obscurus) and two pinnipeds (the South American sea lion Otaria byronia and the South American fur seal Arctocephalus australis) have resident populations in the area. Additionally, different baleen whale species occur seasonally in the region (Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, Sei whale Balaenoptera borealis and minke whale B. bonaerensis and B. acutorostrata) and the occurrence of at least another six marine mammal species have been frequently recorded.
Description of Qualifying Criteria
Criterion B: Distribution and Abundance
Sub-criterion B1: Small and Resident Populations
Dusky dolphin L. obscurus
Historically, the presence of dusky dolphins has been considered occasional in the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago; but during the last two decades, they have become very common in the southern Fuegian coast. From 2009 to 2017, the species was regularly sighted between November and May (Dellabianca et al. 2018). New vessel surveys during winter months confirmed the presence of the species year-round along the southern coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (LECOVIS unpublished data). Presence of younger calves have been observed in the area during late spring and summer months. It remains unclear if local individuals came originally from the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans populations, but groups sighted along the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago represent the southernmost resident population of the species worldwide.
Sub-criterion B2: Aggregations
Peale’s dolphin Lagenorhynchus australis
The presence of Peale’s dolphins has been documented throughout the entire IMMA since the mid-70s (Goodall et al. 1997a), with the highest number of animals in the southern portion of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago (Dellabianca et al. 2016). Systematic on-board surveys conducted from 2009 to date suggest that Peale’s dolphins are resident in nearshore waters throughout the year (Ordoñez 2019, unpublished data from the marine mammal group of the Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation -LECOVIS- of CADIC-CONICET). The presence of calves has been reported from spring to autumn (Goodall et al. 1997b, Ordoñez 2019). Peale’s dolphins have been strongly associated with coastal giant kelp beds Macrocystis pyrifera which are largely extended along the southern coast of Tierra del Fuego (de Haro & Iñíguez 1997, Goodall et al. 1997a, Lescrauwaet 1997, Schiavini et al. 1997, Viddi & Lescrauwaet 2005).
South American sea lion Otaria byronia and South American fur seal Arctocephalus australis
Both species are resident in the IMMA and many rookeries and breeding colonies are found along the southern and eastern coast of Isla Grande of Tierra del Fuego and Isla de los Estados (Crespo et al. 2015, Milano et al. 2020a, b). The last abundance estimate was 7684 and 9550 individuals for sea lion and fur seal respectively, and both species showed an increasing population trend (Milano et al. 2020b).
Criterion C: Key Life Cycle Activities
Sub-criterion C1: Reproductive Areas
South American sea lion Otaria byronia
There are many South American sea lion colonies in this IMMA, and ten colonies were confirmed as breeding colonies in the last aerial survey conducted in 2012 (Milano et al. 2020a).
South American fur seal Arctocephalus australis
All breeding colonies (for pupping, nursing, courtship and mating) of this species within the IMMA are on or around Isla de los Estados (Crespo et al. 2015, Milano et al. 2020b).
Sub-criterion C2: Feeding Areas
Long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas edwardii
Heatmaps created by combining sighting survey data from the IMMA region, showed that the southeast sector of Tierra del Fuego, eastern sector of the Staten Island and waters adjacent to the Burdwood Bank are the main areas with higher sighting density records for long-finned pilot whales (Becker et al. 2021). All these areas have water depths between 200 and more than 3400 m. Studies based on the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition in bone collagen of stranded Long-finned pilot whale specimens from Tierra del Fuego reveal that the long-finned pilot whale is mainly a teutophagous species. Oceanic squids such as Martialia hyadesi, Kondakovia longimana and Histioteuthis spp. showed the greater isotopic contribution to its diet (Becker et al. 2021). In the same study, the southeast part of Tierra del Fuego, eastern part of the Isla de los Estados and the slope break around the Burdwood Bank offer suitable habitats and feeding areas for this species.
Peale’s dolphin Lagenorhynchus australis
Demersal and bottom fishes such as zoarcids and notothenioids, nearshore pelagic species such as Odonthestes spp. as well as octopus and squid species have been identified as important prey for this species in Tierra del Fuego and it is likely that the highly productive waters in this IMMA support important feeding areas for this species (Schiavini et al. 1997, Riccialdelli et al. 2010).
South American sea lion Otaria byronia and South American fur seal Arctocephalus australis
There are numerous haul out sites and pupping areas for both of these species in the IMMA, and the waters surrounding each haulout are heavily used for foraging trips. Trophic studies identified the squat lobster Munida gregaria and the fuegian sprat Sprattus fuegensis are among the most important prey for both species although a trophic segregation has been suggested (Paso Viola & Raya Rey 2016).
Criterion D: Special Attributes
Sub-criterion D2: Diversity
These productive waters support at least 14 species of marine mammals, including both cetaceans and pinnipeds, including humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, sei whale Balaenoptera borealis, fin whale B. physalus, minke whales B. bonaerensis and B. acutorostrata, Hourglass dolphin Lagenorhynchus cruciger, killer whale Orcinus orca, Long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas edwardii, dusky dolphin L. obscurus, Peale’s dolphin L. australis, south American sea lion Otaria byronia, southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina, south American fur seal Arctocephalus australis and sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus (Falabella et al. 2009, Dellabianca 2014, Dellabianca & Torres 2015, 2016, 2017; Torres et al. 2018; Dellabianca et al. 2023, Paso Viola unpublished data).
Supporting Information
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