Assessing the effects of banana pingers as a bycatch mitigation device for harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Omeyer, Lucy C. M.; Doherty, Philip D.; Dolman, Sarah; Enever, Robert; Reese, Allan; Tregenza, Nicholas; Williams, Ruth; Godley, Brendan J.
Frontiers in Marine Science (2020)

Bycatch is a significant cause of population declines of marine megafauna globally. While numerous bycatch mitigation strategies exist, acoustic alarms, or pingers, are the most widely adopted strategy for small…


Using passive acoustic monitoring to investigate the occurrence of cetaceans in a protected marine area in northwest Ireland

Todd, Nicole R. E.; Cronin, Michelle; Luck, Cian; Bennison, Ashley; Jessopp, Mark; Kavanagh, Ailbhe S.
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science (2020)

Under the EU Habitats Directive, cetacean species must be maintained at favourable conservation status in European waters. Whether this is achieved via protected area designation, curtailment of activities such as…


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.…


External morphology and weight-length relationships (WLRs) of harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena (Cetacea: Phocoenidae) in the Black Sea

Bilgin, Sabri; Kose, Ozay; Yesilcicek, Tuncay
Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (2020)

The present study summarized information on the morphometric characteristics and weight-length relationships (WLRs) of pregnant females, non-pregnant females and males of harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) along the Rize…


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…


Mycotic infections in free-ranging harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Kapetanou, Athanasia; IJsseldijk, Lonneke L.; Willems, Dorien S.; Broens, Els M.; Everaarts, Eligius; Buil, Jochem B.; Verweij, Paul E.; Kik, Marja J. L.; Gröne, Andrea
Frontiers in Marine Science (2020)

Studies on the occurrence of fungal communities in the marine environment are still scarce, but mycotic infections in cetaceans are increasingly reported. Fungal disease following infection with Aspergillus species is…


The use of seal scarers as a protective mitigation measure can induce hearing impairment in harbour porpoises

Schaffeld, Tobias; Ruser, Andreas; Woelfing, Benno; Baltzer, Johannes; Kristensen, Jakob H.; Larsson, Josefin; Schnitzler, Joseph G.; Siebert, Ursula
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (2019)

Acoustic deterrent devices (ADDs) are used to deter seals from aquacultures but exposure of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) occurs as a side-effect. At construction sites, by contrast, ADDs are used…


The impact of marine vessels on the presence and behaviour of harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the waters off Berry Head, Brixham (South West England)

Roberts, Laura; Collier, Stuart; Law, Samantha; Gaion, Andrea
Ocean & Coastal Management (2019)

Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) are protected in the UK by the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981). Understanding the impact of anthropogenic pressures is fundamental for effective protection under this act…