The San José Canyon, located in the Pacific of Guatemala, is a site of great ecological importance as it is home to various species of marine mammals, birds, bony fish, sharks, and rays. 

Among them is the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), which often gathers in groups of hundreds or even thousands of individuals. In this area, two subspecies have been recorded—S. longirostris orientalis and S. longirostris centroamericana—with sightings of aggregations of up to 2,000 individuals (Ortiz-Wolford, 2024).

Video by Francisco Polanco (WCS Guatemala)

The species has a global distribution, found mainly in tropical and subtropical waters. It inhabits both pelagic and coastal ecosystems; for example, S. l. centroamericana can be found in coastal waters from the Gulf of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico to the Pacific of Costa Rica (Braulik & Reevens, 2018). 

Spinner dolphins are often associated with other groups such as other dolphin species, yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and seabirds. The IUCN conservation status is Least Concern (Braulik & Reevens, 2018), but one of the main threats is bycatch in fishing gear such as purse seines, gillnets, and trawl nets, as well as their use as bait to capture other species. 

In Guatemala, we are making progress toward marine protection goals linked to the National Biodiversity Strategy, which includes conservation elements such as spinner dolphins for the creation of protected areas. 

Together for sustainable development

Text by José Moreira (WCS Guatemala)