The PMM rescue and rehabilitation of stranded marine mammals, while also investigating the cause of death of stranded carcasses. Samples are collected for many related studies (genetics, contaminants, diet, sanity, and so forth). Orphan manatee calves are sent to the Centro de Reabilitação de Mamíferos Marinhos (CRMM) to be returned back to nature a few years later.  Live cetaceans are preferably treated in natural environments, like coastal sheltered waters.

Etnobiological and populational studies have been developed in one of the most preserved estuaries in Northeast Brazil, the Timonha/Ubatuba Estuarine Complex and adjacent coastal waters. The studies were important to propose the creation of a Wildlife Refuge within the Environmental Protection Area of Delta do Parnaíba, in order to ensure the environmental quality for the migratory birds and manatees, estimulate the artisanal fishing, to fight against predatory fishing and other activities that may harm this environment.

PMM has also developed research on the specie, that inhabit the border region between the states of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte. A partnership between Aquasis, ICMBio, UERN e Funbio allowed the realization of spatial distribution, satellite tracking and abundance studies in this region that were fundamental to argument the extension of two municipal Environmental Protected Areas, an action that was obligatory to ensure the protection of important feeding areas and  freshwater resources for these mammals.

There has been about 500 registers of stranded Guiana dolphins in Ceará since 1994, which makes the cetacean with the highest mortality rate in the state. The fact that only a small portion of carcasses drift to the coast makes the real figure of dead animals alarming. PMM has worked to identify critical areas, an information that we can use to propose public policies and to change the attitude of the relevant communities. One of the most threatened population of guiana dolphins in Ceará inhabits the Mucuripe cove, with only 41 individuals. Even though the specie is reconized as a Natural Heritage from the municipality of Fortaleza, there has been little to no actions towards its protection.

Beach monitoring is an important tool for recording stranded marine mammals in our projects regarding research, conservation, and environmental licensing. Carcasses are collected and, when conditions allows, they pass through a detailed necroscopic analysis to determine the of death. Samples and skeletons are deposited in the Aquasis’s Biological Collection, which support several national and international researchers. Live animals are sent for CRMM, are rehabilitated in natural environment or transferred to other institutions legally licensed for such activity.

Our work towards the communities range from lectures to first-aid courses and workshops, in which people learn how to proceed when a stranded marine mammal has been found. We also promote local events where we preserve and support the cultural heritage of these regions, introducing the manatee and the guiana dolphin as symbols for the conservation of the marine environment and the artisanal fishing.

One of the strategies used by PMM to enforce marine mammals conservation is the proposal of public policies that cause a positive effect in the protection of the species and their habitats. Under our influence, two municipal regulations were created to protect the manatee: one in Aracati, Ceará (Law nº 394/2011) and the second in Icapuí, Ceará (Law nº 655/2015). The municipal Law nº 9949/2012 recognizes the Guiana dolphin as a Natural Heritage of Fortaleza, elects the July 4th as the Guiana Dolphin Municipal Day and acknowledges the responsibility of the preservation of the specie to the public administration and the community. Besides these specific regulations, PMM has worked with Coastal Bird Project proposing the creation and zonation of protected areas for marine mammals and other species that occur in the coastal zone.

The PAN Sirênios consists into a 5-year action plan that was published by ICMBio in 2011, a year after Brazilian researches were reunited to identify actions for the conservation of manatees, in 2010. Aquasis and PMM have participated in the elaboration and execution of the actions present in the PAN and are also part of the PAN monitoring commission. We have had the opportunity to develop a local action plan for the municipalities of Beberibe, Fortim, Aracati, and Icapuí , a moment where we can count on the support of many local partners. Finally, Aquasis have also participated in the elaboration and monitoring of the PAN Pequenos Cetáceos, a similar initiative that covers actions towards the preservation of the guiana dolphin and other cetaceans that occur off the coast of Ceará.