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HELCOM/ASCOBANS Harbour Porpoise observations
Contact: Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), more ;

Archived data
Availability: Creative Commons License This dataset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Description
HELCOM countries agreed in 2007, in cooperation with the 1991 Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS), to develop a coordinated reporting system and database for harbour porpoise observations in the Baltic Sea, including sightings, bycatch, and strandings. The dataset contains georeferenced point observations of harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) reported by HELCOM Contracting Parties. Data are submitted using a standardised reporting template and compiled into the HELCOM Biodiversity database. The dataset includes both historical and contemporary records, including data originating from earlier initiatives such as the Baltic Sea Porpoise and Jastarnia projects. The compiled dataset supports regional assessment and conservation efforts under HELCOM and ASCOBANS frameworks.

Scope
Themes:
Biology > Mammals
Keywords:
Marine/Coastal · Baltic sea · Marine mammals · Monitoring · Animalia · Chordata · Mammalia · Phocoenidae

Temporal coverage
1 January 1800 - 23 December 2022

Taxonomic coverage
Animalia [WoRMS]
Chordata [WoRMS]
Mammalia [WoRMS]
Phocoenidae [WoRMS]

Contributors
Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), moredata creator

Dataset status: Completed
Data type: Data
Data origin: Monitoring
Release date: 2026-04-29
Metadatarecord created: 2026-05-05
Information last updated: 2026-05-05
All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy