Sighting project

The sighting project use incidental sightings and stranded marine mammals of the Baltic Sea to identify importance areas for harbour porpoises and seals. Reported sightings are available for the public and shown in an interactive map.

Harbour porpoises, the only resident whales in the Baltic Sea, have become rare in the Baltic Sea. Only a few hundred porpoises may be left east of Rügen. Unfortunately these toothed whales are exposed to many dangers such as accidental bycatch in fishing nets, acoustic impacts of increased shipping traffic and construction work at sea, overfishing of their food source and chemical pollution of surface waters.

Nevertheless, sailors and other members of the general public often have the opportunity to observe these special animals in their natural habitat. With the report of your sightings you can provide a personal contribution to the protection of the harbour porpoises.

A lack of knowledge about the exact population size and the distribution of the Baltic harbour porpoises require the collection of more data about the animals. Each message of a porpoise sighting provides important information on the population and behaviour and helps our scientists to develop a comprehensive protection for these endangered animals.

The aim of the Society for the Conservation of Marine Mammals (GSM) is to counteract the decline of porpoises in the Baltic Sea. Therefore the project “Sailors on the Lookout for Harbour Porpoises” was launched 2002. 2011 the German Oceanographic Museum continued this project.

Sailors on the Lookout for Harbor Porpoises - from the sighting to the map

The sightings are shown in an interactive map with detailed information. Since 2012 each reported sighting could be tracked in the map within a short time.

All stranded marine mammals from the coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania reported to the German Oceanographic Museum are collected and investigated for health condition and cause of death. With your report you help us to explore the marine mammals and the localization of importance habitats. The data are used, for example, to maintain and extend the existing protection concepts for the animals.

We would like to thank all of you which report sightings of marine mammals and support the project!

Sponsor:

Research Foundation Baltic Sea

AIDA Freunde der Meere e.V.

Partner:

Langebartels&Jürgens; Druckereigesellschaft mbH

Ostsee2012; Ein tierischer Segelsommer