Protect the Baltic Harbour Porpoise
2017-2019
The only resident whale in the Baltic Sea is listed as “critically endangered”. CCB worked to push for the establishment of well-managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to better protect these marine mammals.
OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT
The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is the only (small) whale in the Baltic Sea and its Baltic subpopulation is listed as “critically endangered” by the
IUCN and
HELCOM.
The primary threat to this species is by-catch in gillnet fisheries, but underwater noise, pollution and ecosystem changes also negatively affect the population status.
Whilst Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) cannot address all of these threats, they are generally considered important instruments in the protection of these marine mammals. However, for an MPA to have real effects on the status of the harbour porpoise population, measures such as fisheries regulations and limitations for shipping need to be specified in a management plan for this area.
THE PROJECT IN A NUTSHELL
The Baltic Sea harbour porpoise is critically endangered and there are only a few hundred animals left. While pollution and disturbance through underwater noise may be contributing to the population failing to recover, bycatch is the one acute threat causing direct mortalities in significant numbers. Given the small size of the population, the sex ratio and age distribution and the proportion of females potentially infertile due to high contaminant load, there may be less than 100 fertile females in the Baltic Proper. Losing even one of those females could have a devastating effect on the ability of the population to recover or even stay stable.
Photo credit: Nature Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo
The main goal of this project was to establish a well-managed marine protected areas covering the main breeding area of the harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea in order to improve the status of the Baltic Sea population.
Photo credit: Rebecca Cole / Alamy Stock Photo
To achieve the overrall goal, CCB has been cooperating with the responsible authorities in Sweden, aiming to facilitate the crucial stakeholder dialogue and assist in the drafting of the management plan including fisheries regulations, and facilitate the international consultation process on these documents. A deadlock in the Swedish national MPA consultation process has enforced changes in project activities, however the ultimate project achievements match well with the project goal.
Photo credit: Nature Photographers Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
The project gave a boost to a significant improvement in the management of the Baltic harbour porpoise populations, not only in the Swedish marine protected areas area but in the entire Baltic Sea. Moreover, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) is creating porpoise protection measures in several national Natura 2000 areas and other Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Thanks to this project, the political interest and support for the protection of harbour porpoises and MPAs in Sweden has been extended.
Furthermore, the awareness of the Baltic harbour porpoise problem has been raised in the Swedish general public, the European Commission and the BALTFISH group, with CCB seen as a legitimate facilitator in this dialogue.
More details about the outputs of the projects are available at the BaltCF's website.
Photo credit: Arco Images GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
PUBLICATIONS
Brief on bycatch mitigation methods
Report on legal protection of the porpoises in Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
NGO request for Fisheries Emergency Measures Baltic Sea harbour porpoise
For more information:
CCB Secretariat:
secretariat (at) ccb.se
This project was funded by the Baltic Sea Conservation Foundation (BaltCF).
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