Out of sight, out of mind: How conservation is failing European porpoises

Carlén, Ida; Nunny, Laetitia; Simmonds, Mark P.
Frontiers in Marine Science (2021)

The conservation of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) appears to be failing in Europe. There are particular concerns about this species in the Baltic Proper, Black, and Mediterranean Seas, as well…


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…


Genetic homogeneity in the face of morphological heterogeneity in the harbor porpoise from the Black Sea and adjacent waters (Phocoena phocoena relicta)

Ben Chehida, Yacine; Thumloup, Julie; Vishnyakova, Karina; Gol’din, Pavel; Fontaine, Michael C.
Heredity (2019)

Absence of genetic differentiation is usually taken as an evidence of panmixia, but can also reflect other situations, including even nearly complete demographic independence among large-sized populations. Deciphering which situation…


Genetic and historic evidence for climate-driven population fragmentation in a top cetacean predator: The harbour porpoises in European water

Fontaine, Michaël C.; Tolley, Krystal A.; Michaux, Johan R.; Birkun, Alexei; Ferreira, Marisa; Jauniaux, Thierry; Llavona, Ángela; Öztürk, Bayram; Öztürk, Ayaka A; Ridoux, Vincent; Rogan, Emer; Sequeira, Marina; Bouquegneau, Jean-Marie; Baird, Stuart J. E.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2010)

Recent climate change has triggered profound reorganization in northeast Atlantic ecosystems, with substantial impact on the distribution of marine assemblages from plankton to fishes. However, assessing the repercussions on apex…


Group characteristics, site fidelity, and photo-identification of harbor porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, in Burrows Pass, Fidalgo Island, Washington

Elliser, Cindy R.; MacIver, Katrina H.; Green, Michelle
Marine Mammal Science (2017)

Little is known about harbor porpoises at the individual level or local group structure. Group characteristics, site fidelity, and photo‐identification of harbor porpoises were investigated off Fidalgo Island, Washington State.…


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…