Investigations on harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea as basis for the implementation of the recovery plan for harbour porpoises of the Baltic proper (Jastarnia)

At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, harbour porpoises were common in the Baltic Sea. Mass deaths during extremely cold winters, whaling, by-catch caused by commercial fisheries, damage to the habitat from pollution, disruptions by ship traffic, and a drop in food supply however have led to a considerable reduction in the number of harbour porpoises. Morphologic and genetic investigations showed that a separate subpopulation exists in the central Baltic Sea.
In response to the impending loss of the population of harbour porpoises in the central Baltic Sea, a population recovery plan was developed in the Polish city of Jastarnia in 2002 under the leadership of ASCOBANS, the so-called "Jastarnia Plan." This project is a German contribution to the implementation of the recovery plan and intended to look at the occurrence, habitat usage, population and age structures, reproductivity, and the state of health of harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea. FTZ scientists will collect and process information and material from the countries in the Baltic region. Historic and recent data on sightings, population counts, and post-mortem specimen are collected and managed in an evolving database. In addition, stranded and by-caught harbour porpoises will be dissected for sample collection according to an international standardised protocol, followed by histological, microbiological, and serological examinations. The reproductive status and age of the animals will be determined as well.
The final report is available for Downloadhere.