Threatened with extinction: SC records more than 40 deaths of the smallest dolphin in Brazil in 2026

SC records more than 40 deaths of the smallest dolphin in Brazil in 2026 Around 43 porpoises were found dead on the North Coast of Santa Catarina between January and August 15, 2026. The small species of dolphin — the smallest in Brazil — is critically in danger of extinction, according to the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio). Of the 44 incidents recorded during the period, only one animal was rescued alive. The information was released by the Univali Marine Animal Stabilization Unit, executor of the Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Project (PMP-BS), on Wednesday (19). ?Click and follow the g1 SC channel on WhatsApp Francisca dies, a porpoise that spent more than a year undergoing rehabilitation in SC and became a milestone in the preservation of the species According to the PMP-BS, in the same period of 2025, 38 strandings of porpoises were recorded. Throughout the year, 95 animals were found dead on the coast of Santa Catarina. According to the project's executor, porpoises are considered the smallest saltwater dolphins on the Brazilian coast. Strandings were recorded in seven cities. The animals were collected by the team and sent to the Univali Marine Animal Stabilization Unit, in Penha (SC), where they underwent necropsy. The incidents are distributed across seven cities in the monitored area, which comprises the stretch between Barra Velha, in the north of the state, and Governador Celso Ramos, in Greater Florianópolis. All strandings occurred on the North Coast. See the number by city: Penha - 14 cases Barra Velha - 11 cases Navegantes - 11 cases Balneário Piçarras - 5 cases Balneário Camboriú - 1 case Bombinhas - 1 case Itajaí - one case More than 40 Porpoises were found dead in SC in 2026 PMP-BS/Univali Pregnant females are among the records Among the most recent cases, the PMP-BS team collected two pregnant adult females on beaches in Barra Velha. The first rescue took place on August 4, at Praia do Tabuleiro. The animal weighed 25 kilos and was in an advanced state of decomposition. During the assessment, the technicians identified a fracture and linear mark on the face compatible with an accidental entanglement in a fishing net. The fetus that the female bore was also recorded. Two days later, on August 6, another pregnant female, weighing 27.5 kilos, was found dead at Praia do Grant, in Barra Velha. Both bodies were sent to the Univali Marine Animal Stabilization Unit, in Penha, for necropsy and collection of biological samples. Although the state of decomposition prevented definitive confirmation of the cause of death, technical evaluation indicates that pregnant females with good nutritional status often die associated with acute events, such as drowning after accidental stranding in fishing areas. Porpoises are threatened with extinction Classified since 2014 as "critically endangered" by the official list of Brazilian fauna species threatened with extinction, the porpoise suffers from habitat degradation and marine pollution. According to PMP-BS researchers, accidental capture in gillnets is one of the main threats to the species, followed by ocean pollution and degradation of marine habitat, problems that intensify in the coastal regions where it lives. Porpoises have a gestation period of approximately 11 months and produce only one offspring every two or three years. The peak of births occurs in spring, a period when strandings also tend to increase in the region. The sampling of biometric data, exams and necropsies conducted by PMP-BS aim to expand scientific knowledge about the local population and mitigate risks on the coast.