Harbor porpoise losing its edge: Genetic time series suggests a rapid population decline in Iberian waters over the last 30 years

Ben Chehida, Yacine; Stelwagen, Tjibbe; Hoekendijk, Jeroen P. A.; Ferreira, Marisa; Eira, Catarina; Torres‐Pereira, Andreia; Nicolau, Lidia; Thumloup, Julie; Fontaine, Michael C.
Ecology and Evolution (2023)

Impact of climate change is expected to be especially noticeable at the edges of a species' distribution, where they meet suboptimal habitat conditions. In Mauritania and Iberia, two genetically differentiated…


Recent progress and future directions for conservation of the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaorientalis asiaorientalis)

Hao, Yujiang; Nabi, Ghulam; Mei, Zhigang; Zheng, Jinsong; Wang, Kexiong; Wang, Ding
Der Zoologische Garten (2023)

With the functional extinction of the Yangtze River dolphin or baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) based on the survey conducted in 2006, the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaorientalis) is now the only…


Microsatellite genetic diversity evaluation and development prediction of the Yangtze finless porpoise population in the Poyang Lake

Wang, Ren-Yong; Chen, Min-Min; Wan, Xiao-Ling; Tang, Bin; Hao, Yu-Jiang; Mei, Zhi-Gang; Fan, Fei; Wang, Ke-Xiong; Wang, Ding; Zheng, Jin-Song
Acta Hydrobiologica Sinica (2023)

The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis; YFP) is now critically endangered, calling for prompt and effective actions to strengthen research and conservation. The Poyang Lake is the most critical…


Genetic footprint of population fragmentation and contemporary collapse in a freshwater cetacean

Chen, Minmin; Fontaine, Michael C.; Ben Chehida, Yacine; Zheng, Jinsong; Labbé, Frédéric; Mei, Zhigang; Hao, Yujiang; Wang, Kexiong; Wu, Min; Zhao, Qingzhong; Wang, Ding
Scientific Reports (2017)

Understanding demographic trends and patterns of gene flow in an endangered species is crucial for devising conservation strategies. Here, we examined the extent of population structure and recent evolution of…


Differential population dynamics of a coastal porpoise correspond to the fishing effort in a large estuarine system

Lin, Wenzhi; Karczmarski, Leszek; Li, Jun; Chan, Stephen C. Y.; Guo, Lang; Wu, Yuping
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems (2019)

The finless porpoise (genus Neophocaena) is susceptible to fishery‐caused mortality, and its numbers are thought to be in decline across its entire range. However, population demographics have rarely been quantified…


Abundance decline in the narrow‐ridged finless porpoise population off the Pacific coast of eastern Japan

Shirakihara, Kunio; Nakahara, Fumio; Shinohara, Masanori; Shirakihara, Miki; Hiramatsu, Kazuhiko; Irie, Takahiro
Population Ecology (2019)

The narrow‐ridged finless porpoise Neophocaena asiaeorientalis is a small‐toothed whale with a coastal habitat and is sensitive to human activity. Aerial sighting surveys were conducted in 2012 to evaluate the…


Habitat succession of the Yangtze finless porpoise in Poyang Lake under the changing hydrodynamic and feeding environment

Han, Yong; Sun, Zhiyu; Fang, Hongwei; Bai, Sen; Huang, Lei; He, Guojian
Ecological Modelling (2020)

Poyang Lake, located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is the largest freshwater lake in China and the most important habitat for the Yangtze finless porpoise.…


Population survey showing hope for population recovery of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise

Huang, Jie; Mei, Zhigang; Chen, Mao; Han, Yi; Zhang, Xinqiao; Moore, Jeffrey E.; Zhao, Xiujiang; Hao, Yujiang; Wang, Kexiong; Wang, Ding
Biological Conservation (2020)

The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis), has experienced rapid declines in recent decades. We estimate its abundance based on surveys conducted between November and December 2017 in the main-stem…


Last call: Passive acoustic monitoring shows continued rapid decline of critically endangered vaquita

Thomas, Len; Jaramillo-Legorreta, Armando; Cardenas-Hinojosa, Gustavo; Nieto-Garcia, Edwyna; Rojas-Bracho, Lorenzo; Ver Hoef, Jay M.; Moore, Jeffrey; Taylor, Barbara; Barlow, Jay; Tregenza, Nicholas
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (2017)

The vaquita is a critically endangered species of porpoise. It produces echolocation clicks, making it a good candidate for passive acoustic monitoring. A systematic grid of sensors has been deployed…