Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena).
Photo: Buiten Beeld / Alamy
Contact: Stina Nyström
The harbour porpoise is the only whale species that lives in the Baltic Sea region year-round. There are three genetically and morphologically different populations: one in the North Sea, one in the Belt Sea, and one in the Baltic proper. The latter is listed by IUCN and HELCOM as ‘critically endangered’ with only about 500 individuals remaining.
The key threats to the porpoises in the Baltic Sea are incidental catches (bycatch) in fishing gear, environmental contaminants, prey depletion and disturbance by underwater noise.
On 25 September, jointly with other environmental NGOs, WWF sent a letter to Virginijus Sinkevičius (EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries) in support of full implementation of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea advice (May 2020) on emergency and long term measures for the recovery of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise population. The letter also raised concerns regarding the Baltic governments’ draft proposal on a joint recommendation, which did not meet the legal requirements to protect the porpoise population. Key parts of the ICES advice were missing, including mandatory pinger use on static nets outside of marine protected areas, and minimized acoustic disturbance in Special Areas of Conservation within the population’s range.
Sinkevičius responded to the letter in November, stating that he takes this matter “very seriously”. He noted that his objective is to ensure that EU legislation is upheld and enforced, and that the possibility for the Commission to introduce emergency measures is being seriously considered. The Commissioner further confirmed his support for long-term solutions at the local and regional level between marine conservationists, fishers and administrators. The Commission has asked stakeholders in the Baltic Sea, who work together in the Baltic Sea Advisory Council and BALTFISH to develop a joint recommendation to better protect harbour porpoises, with concrete measures to be put in place urgently.
The Commission is actively engaging with BALTFISH and continues to push the group toward a robust joint recommendation in accordance with the ICES advice.
This article is part of the WWF Baltic Newsletter – December 2020
