Estimating the abundance of the critically endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) population using passive acoustic monitoring

• Published in: Ecology and Evolution
• Main Authors: Amundin, Mats, Carlström, Julia, Thomas, Len, Carlén, Ida, Teilmann, Jonas, Tougaard, Jakob, Loisa, Olli, Kyhn, Line A., Sveegaard, Signe, Burt, M. Louise, Pawliczka, Iwona, Koza, Radomil, Arciszewski, Bartlomiej, Galatius, Anders, Laaksonlaita, Jussi, MacAuley, Jamie, Wright, Andrew J., Gallus, Anja, Dähne, Michael, Acevedo-Gutiérrez, Alejandro, Benke, Harald, Koblitz, Jens, Tregenza, Nick, Wennerberg, Daniel, Brundiers, Katharina, Kosecka, Monika, Tiberi Ljungqvist, Cinthia, Jussi, Ivar, Jabbusch, Martin, Lyytinen, Sami, Šaškov, Aleksej, Blankett, Penina
• Other Authors: University of St Andrews. Statistics, University of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotland, University of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews. School of Biology
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Abundance estimation; C-POD; Detection function; Passive acoustic monitoring; Phocoena phocoena; GC Oceanography; DAS; GC; Harbour porpoise
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/24919; https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8554

The SAMBAH project was funded by the LIFE+ program of the European Commission (LIFE08 NAT/S/000261) and co-funded by Bundesamt für Naturschutz, Germany (SAMBAH II 5 Vw/52602/2011-Mar 36032/66); Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit, Germany (COSAMM FKZ 0325238); Carlsbergfondet, Denmark (CF16-0861); European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, The Netherlands; Główny Inpektorat Ochrony Środowiska, Poland; Havs-och Vattenmyndigheten, Sweden; Instytut Meteorologii i Gospodarki Wodnej - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy, Poland; Japanese Science and Technology Agency-CREST, Japan (7620-7); Kolmårdens Djurpark, Sweden; Maailman Luonnon Säätiö (WWF) Suomen Rahasto, Finland; Miljøministeriet, Denmark; Miljø- og Fødevareministeriet, Denmark (SN 343/SN-0008); Narodowy Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej, Poland (561/2009/Wn-50/OP/RE-LF/D); Naturvårdsverket, Sweden; SNAK Ph.D. School, Aarhus University, Denmark (91147/365); Tampereen Särkänniemi Ltd., Finland; Turun ammattikorkeakoulu Oy, Finland; Uniwersytet Gdański, Poland; Wojewódzki Fundusz Ochrony Środowiska i Gospodarki Wodnej w Gdańsku, Poland; and Ympäristöministeriö, Finland. Knowing the abundance of a population is a crucial component to assess its conservation status and develop effective conservation plans. For most cetaceans, abundance estimation is difficult given their cryptic and mobile nature, especially when the population is small and has a transnational distribution. In the Baltic Sea, the number of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) has collapsed since the mid-20th century and the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and HELCOM; however, its abundance remains unknown. Here, one of the largest ever passive acoustic monitoring studies was carried out by eight Baltic Sea nations to estimate the abundance of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise for the first time. By logging porpoise echolocation signals at 298 stations during May 2011-April 2013, calibrating the loggers' spatial ...