Assessing dugong distribution and overlapping threats along the northwestern Red Sea, Egypt

Abstract

An interview survey was conducted amongst (primarily) fishermen along the Egyptian Red Sea coasts to determine the distribution of vulnerable dugongs (Dugong dugon) and how human impacts overlap to help guide conservation actions. A total of 207 interviews were completed from August 2015 to May 2016 in seven regions along the Egyptian Red Sea coast. Dugongs were sighted at 95 locations, and the greatest number of dugong encounters happened during transit to fishing areas (>39%) and 27% during fishing activities. The majority of the fishermen (89%) believed that dugong captures in nets were decreasing, although it was we are unsure if this represents a decrease in the dugong population. Most of the captured dugongs were reportedly released alive (>72%), but 13% were reported as eaten, representing an ongoing threat to dugong survival in the Red Sea. Approximately 34% of the respondents thought that overall dugong numbers were in decline and >79% suggested that dugongs might become extinct in the future. Most fishermen understood it was illegal to catch a dugong on purpose (>89%) and 7% thought it was legal if the dugong was caught by accident. Dugong sightings from 1980 to 2016, seagrass distribution, and fishing areas were overlaid on Geographical Information System (GIS) maps to highlight the overlaps between dugong distribution, anthropogenic threats, and to identify potential conservation hotspots. The minimum population size was estimated between 73 and 97 individuals in the north-western Red Sea, Egypt.