Harbour Porpoise

*** Canadian Management plan - see threats.

*** SARA information on harbour porpoise.

Threats facing harbour porpoise from the BC Cetacean Sightings Network

Species information by the Hakai Institute “Central Coast Biodiversity” http://www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/marine-mammals.html

Harbour porpoise listed as of “special concern” from BC Cetacean Sightings Network

More on harbour porpoise by the BC Cetaceans Sightings Network.

Video of large group of harbour porpoise

COSEWIC assessment - be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for further reports on the species.

BC Cetacean Sightings Network species information

http://www.marinemammal.org/biology/harbor-porpoise/ North Pacific University's Marine Mammal Research Consortium's excellent fast facts; also click "research" and "killer whales" for very current research issues

Voices of the Sea - information includes sounds of harbour porpoise. Click on the porpoise and then click on the harbour porpoise at the bottom of the page.

See information from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

Video of “Daisy” the baby harbour porpoise rescued by Vancouver Aquarium.

Rare fungal disease in porpoises; also addressed in this article -  Vancouver Sun; February 20, 2012; “Land-based pathogens found in marine mammals - fear funding cuts for investigations may affect human, animal health

Carla Crossman’s research on hybrid Dalls porpoise / harbour porpoise which suggests that hybridization is far more common than thought and that the hybrids are also a result of a Dalls porpoise father and harbour porpoise mother! http://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2015/26/n026p001.pdf and http://t.co/Q0610DxB

Porpoise hybrid information from BC Cetacean Sightings Network

Specific information for British Columbia

Harbour porpoise and entanglement

Lesson plan on harbour porpoise by J. Hildering and Anna Hall with a focus on the potential impacts of noise pollution. 

Potential impacts of noise

American Cetacean Society information (see link on left) http://acsonline.org/education/fact-sheets/

Whales in Crisis” - 1 hr long National Geographic movie; includes the possible impacts of military sonar on cetaceans (interviews with Ken Balcomb when military sonar used in Puget Sound in 2003 and harbour porpoise stranded).

http://www.marinemammal.org/steller_sea_lion/harborporpoise/fastfacts.php- North Pacific information

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessment.  See http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/eng/sct1/index_e.cfm and do a search for the common name of the animal you are studying. Proceed to "details" for the animal. 

http://www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca/search/speciesDetails_e.cfm?SpeciesID=493 - threats to Canada' s harbour porpoise  

DFO publication: Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises of British Columbia, Canada - http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/241969.pdf

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/species/species_harbourporpoise_e.asp  - DFO pages on threats and natural history.  Good summary. 

"Smart Gear" =  net technology to reduce chance of entanglement of small cetaceans.

http://www.killerwhale.ca/animals-harbour.html - Information from Environment Canada 2004

Pacific Wildlife Foundation’s species information. Everything from distribution maps to behaviour

http://www.pwlf.org/harbourporpoise/identification.htm - Identification guide from Pacific Wildlife Foundation 

http://www.marinemammal.org/steller_sea_lion/harborporpoise/fastfacts.php- North Pacific information

http://www.crru.org.uk/education/factfiles/hporpoise.htm - Scottish Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit's information 

http://www.wdcs.org/dan/publishing.nsf/allweb/A59B71D6C8A9EB17802568F800443577 - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society's species information.  Click "porpoises." Not a BC page. 

http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/HarborPorpoise.htm - from the American Cetacean Society

Video
- Large group
- http://www.bostonharbor.com/HarborPorpoise.html
- http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/mammals/Phocoena_phocoena/Phocoena_phocoena_00.html?movietype=wmMed

http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/marine_mammals.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&record=Phocoena%20phocoena - lots of detail about identification some information about  behaviour and threats. An international webpage. 

http://www.ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/phocoena.htm Not a Canadian page

http://www.imma.org/porpoise.html - fact sheet  Not a Canadian page

http://www.dosits.org/animals/intro.htm - study how marine mammals make sound and how sound effects them.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Phocoena_phocoena.html    Not a Canadian page

http://www.cms.int/reports/small_cetaceans/data/P_phocoena/p_phocoena.htm - this is a report by the Convention on Migratory Species looking at the threats to small cetaceans internationally.  See the bottom of the document for threats.

http://www.junglewalk.com/frames.asp - type in "harbor porpoise" (note spelling) in the search bar and you will get links to pictures and video

www.oceanlink.island.net - Bamfield Research Station’s detailed marine biology page search for your species

http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/intermediate.asp?curGroupID=5 - Click "marine mammals" and do a search for your animal. Not a Canadian page