Harbour Porpoise

Draft Canadian Management plan - see threats.

Threats facing harbour porpoise from the BC Cetacean Sightings Network

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

Voices of the Sea - website where you can hear the sounds of harbour porpoise, see the spectrogram of their sounds, see video clips and learn cool facts from scientists! 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

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, how they hear and with a focus on the possible impact of sound.

Potential impacts of noise

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  

http://www.mi.mun.ca/mi-net/fishdeve/cetace16.htm - DFO page on porpoises

http://www-comm.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/publications/whalesdpbook/default_e.htm -Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises of British Columbia, Canada

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.vanaqua.org/aquanews/archive.html - enter the species name in the search field to get any AquaNews bulletins posted by the Vancouver Marine Sciences Centre

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