Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Aleksija Neimanis, Jasmine Stavenow, Erik Olof Agren, Emil Wikstrom-Lassa, Anna Maria Roos
Summary: This study examined the pathology and causes of death in stranded harbour porpoises from Swedish waters. The most common cause of death was bycatch in fishing gear, followed by disease, mainly pneumonia. The presence of bacteria with zoonotic potential in the porpoises was documented for the first time in Swedish waters. The results provide important reference for monitoring the health and disease patterns of porpoises and their environments.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Karina Dracott, Chloe V. Robinson, Alice Brown-Dussault, Caitlin Birdsall, Lance Barrett-Lennard
Summary: Pacific Harbour Porpoise, a species listed as Special Concern under the Species At Risk Act, occupies a wide range throughout coastal waters of British Columbia. However, there is limited data on their abundance and population trends. This multi-year study used land-based visual surveys and passive acoustic monitoring to fill the data gaps and found strong seasonal and diel trends in the activity of harbour porpoise around Prince Rupert. Despite vessel-related acoustic disturbance, harbour porpoise continue to persist in this highly trafficked area, indicating its importance as a habitat for this species and a certain level of acclimatization to localized disturbance.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dimitar Popov, Galina Meshkova, Karina Vishnyakova, Julia Ivanchikova, Marian Paiu, Costin Timofte, Ayaka Amaha Ozturk, Arda M. Tonay, Ayhan Dede, Marina Panayotova, Ertug Duzgunes, Pavel Gol'din
Summary: Bycatch in fishing gear, particularly bottom gillnets and trammel nets, is causing a significant decline in the Black Sea harbour porpoise population. A study conducted from 2019 to 2021 estimated that the annual bycatch of harbour porpoises in the Black Sea ranges from 11,826 to 16,200 individuals. This poses a serious threat to the long-term survival of the population and immediate measures are needed to reduce the bycatch.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Sara Torres Ortiz, Johanna Stedt, Henrik Skov Midtiby, Henrik Dyrberg Egemose, Magnus Wahlberg
Summary: Our study reveals role specialization in cooperative hunting among harbour porpoises, a sophisticated form of collaboration rarely seen in animals. This challenges previous knowledge about porpoises and opens up the possibility of other seemingly nonsocial species employing advanced collaborative hunting methods.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Melinda L. Rekdahl, Sarah G. Trabue, Carissa D. King-Nolan, Samantha Strindberg, Howard C. Rosenbaum
Summary: This study investigated the spatiotemporal distribution of harbour porpoise in the NY-NJ Harbour Estuary from 2018-2020. The results showed that harbour porpoises were present at low levels year-round, with seasonal peaks in winter to spring (February to June). Sea surface temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration were significant predictors of harbour porpoise presence, but further research is needed to understand this relationship.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
David Lusseau, Lotte Kindt-Larsen, Floris M. van Beest
Summary: Human activities at sea are becoming more complex, requiring adaptable management interventions to mitigate their cumulative effects on biodiversity conservation. Coastal cetaceans, particularly harbour porpoises, are threatened by bycatch and the indirect effects of repeated exposure to disturbances such as acoustic disturbances. The prevalence of pingers, used to mitigate bycatch, can affect both bycatch rate and the population consequences of noise disturbance. Understanding the physiological effects on reproductive decisions and behavioural responses to noise is crucial for evaluating the cumulative impacts of bycatch and its mitigations.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
K. M. Gregor, J. Lakemeyer, L. L. IJsseldijk, U. Siebert, P. Wohlsein
Summary: This study reviewed the records of spontaneous neoplasms in harbour porpoises between 1999 and 2018. The findings revealed different types of tumors in seven adult porpoises, including liver adenocarcinoma, testicular Sertoli cell tumor, and adrenal cortical adenoma. The causes of tumorigenesis in these cases remain uncertain and could potentially involve both endogenous and exogenous factors.
DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS
(2022)
Article
Oceanography
Xiuqing Hao, Jacob Nabe-Nielsen
Summary: Danish coastal waters, known for recreational boating and harbour porpoises, lack data on boat speeds and distributions, making it difficult to assess the impact of boat noise on the porpoises. Researchers used coastal observations and satellite images to determine the relationship between boat speed and size/type and the spatial distribution of small boats. Results showed that boat speed varied among marinas and motorboats were the dominant type, with the probability of observing boats decreasing with distance from the shore. This study highlights the importance of combining observation and satellite data in assessing the impact of boats on wildlife.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Kathrine A. Ryeng, Jan Lakemeyer, Marco Roller, Peter Wohlsein, Ursula Siebert
Summary: The majority of harbour porpoises captured from the northernmost Arctic Norwegian coastline displayed good nutritional status, with a high prevalence of gastric nematodiasis and associated severe lesions.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Ida Carlen, Laetitia Nunny, Mark P. Simmonds
Summary: Conservation efforts for harbor porpoises in Europe, particularly in the Baltic Proper and Black Sea, are failing, with populations critically endangered and legal protections proving ineffective. Despite calls for action, issues such as public disinterest and political will hinder progress. Recommendations have been made to address threats, but a complex web of commitments and interactions poses challenges for conservation and management efforts.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Arnar K. S. Sandholt, Aleksija Neimanis, Anna Roos, Jenny Eriksson, Robert Soderlund
Summary: The study identified a host-adapted and extraintestinal clonal population of Salmonella enterica associated with harbor porpoises, which can cause severe opportunistic infections. The recovered isolates had specific genetic characteristics and pathogenic mechanisms, with a loss of function in response to environmental cues, indicating adaptation as an extraintestinal pathogen.
VETERINARY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Rosie S. Williams, David J. Curnick, Andrew Brownlow, Jonathan L. Barber, James Barnett, Nicholas J. Davison, Robert Deaville, Mariel Ten Doeschate, Matthew Perkins, Paul D. Jepson, Susan Jobling
Summary: The study finds that PCB exposure is associated with reduced testes weights in animals with good body condition, while the impact is diminished in animals with poor body condition, possibly due to nutritional stress limiting testes weights. As testes weight is a key indicator of male fertility in seasonally breeding mammals, it is suggested to include these effects in population level impact assessments involving PCB exposures. This finding has significant global implications for the reproductive health of coastal cetacean species.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Cindy R. Elliser, Anna Hall
Summary: The harbor porpoise in the Salish Sea was once abundant but experienced a significant decline by the 1990s, only to see a resurgence in numbers by the early 2000s. Current research is shedding light on various aspects of their biology and ecology, highlighting the need for continued collaboration to close knowledge gaps and address human threats.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Natsuki Matsui, Motoki Sasaki, Mari Kobayashi, Junji Shindo, Takashi F. Matsuishi
Summary: The study on growth and maturity of harbour porpoises around Japanese waters found sexual dimorphism in porpoises as females were larger than males, with the difference starting from the age of 3. The length at sexual maturity for males was estimated to be 143.1 cm and for females was 154.4 cm.
Article
Ecology
Kimberly A. Nielsen, James R. Robbins, Clare B. Embling
Summary: This study utilized citizen science data collected from ferries to investigate spatio-temporal patterns in harbour porpoise densities in UK waters. The highest densities were found southwest of Cornwall, followed by the North Sea and the English Channel. The North Sea experienced a substantial increase in average density over the study period, indicating new high-use areas along those routes.
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
(2021)
Article
Oceanography
Stephanie Ponsar, Patrick Luyten, Valerie Duliere
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Valerie Duliere, Nathalie Gypens, Christiane Lancelot, Patrick Luyten, Genevieve Lacroix
Article
Environmental Sciences
X. Desmit, V. Thieu, G. Billen, F. Campuzano, V. Duliere, J. Garnier, L. Lassaletta, A. Menesguen, R. Neves, L. Pinto, M. Silvestre, J. L. Sobrinho, G. Lacroix
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2018)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alain Menesguen, Xavier Desmit, Valerie Duliere, Genevieve Lacroix, Benedicte Thouvenin, Vincent Thieu, Morgan Dussauze
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2018)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yongxin Zhang, Yun Qian, Valerie Duliere, Eric P. Salathe, L. Ruby Leung
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yongxin Zhang, Valerie Duliere, Philip W. Mote, Eric P. Salathe
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2009)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Valerie Duliere, Yongxin Zhang, Eric P. Salathe
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2011)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Valerie Duliere, Yongxin Zhang, Eric P. Salathe
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2013)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
V. Duliere, T. Fichefet
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
R Timmermann, H Goosse, G Madec, T Fichefet, C Ethe, V Duliere