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NRLD - 96206 | Phocoena phocoena

Assessment ID
96206
Taxon name
Phocoena phocoena
Linnaeus, 1758
Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Scientific name
Phocoena phocoena
Linnaeus, 1758
Common name(s)
Harbour Porpoise (English), Marsouin commun (Français)
Assessed taxon level
Population
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
chordata
Class
mammalia
Order
cetacea
Family
phocoenidae
Genus
Phocoena
Species
phocoena
Species authority
Linnaeus, 1758
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
Northwest Atlantic population
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
Canada
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
Canada
Country ISO code(s)
CAN
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Special Concern; Préoccupante
Criteria system used
Modified IUCN

(see Assessment details)

Assessment rationale/justification
The species is widely distributed in eastern Canadian marine waters. Surveys of portions of the range (Bay of Fundy/Gulf of Maine and the Gulf of St. Lawrence) during the late 1990s indicated more than 100,000 porpoises. Incidental catch (bycatch) in fishing gear, especially gillnets, is a major source of mortality. Bycatch probably has declined in areas where use of gillnets has decreased. Management measures in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine have been shown to reduce porpoise bycatch rates in gillnets. However, these measures have not been implemented in much of the species' range, including the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland and Labrador, where annual mortality in several gillnet fisheries is still estimated to be in the thousands. There is also some concern that porpoises in the Bay of Fundy and possibly other areas may be excluded from portions of their habitat by acoustic harassment devices associated with aquaculture. Although the population remains abundant, the particular susceptibility of harbour porpoises to bycatch in fishing gear represents an incipient threat. Given that, the lack of good abundance information in some parts of the range and the lack of porpoise bycatch monitoring and mitigation in many of the relevant fisheries are reasons for concern.; L'espèce est largement répandue dans les eaux marines de l'est du Canada. Les dénombrements dans des parties de l'aire de répartition (baie de Fundy, golfe du Maine et golfe du Saint-Laurent) à la fin des années 1990 indiquaient plus de 100 000 marsouins. Les prises accessoires dans les engins de pêche, particulièrement dans les filets maillants, sont une cause majeure de mortalité. Ces prises ont probablement diminué dans les endroits o๠l'utilisation de filets maillants a diminué. Des mesures de gestion dans la baie de Fundy et le golfe du Maine ont permis de réduire le taux de prises accessoires de marsouins dans les filets maillants. Cependant, ces mesures n'ont pas été mises en ?œuvre dans la majeure partie de l'aire de répartition de l'espèce, incluant le golfe du Saint-Laurent et Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, o๠les mortalités annuelles dans plusieurs pêches au filet maillant sont encore estimées dans les milliers. Il y a également certaines préoccupations quant au fait que les marsouins dans la baie de Fundy et possiblement dans d'autres aires peuvent être tenus à l'écart de certaines parties de leur habitat en raison de l'utilisation d'appareils de harcèlement acoustique associés à l'aquaculture. Bien que la population demeure abondante, la sensibilité particulière du marsouin commun à la prise accessoire dans les engins de pêche représente une menace croissante. Par conséquent, le manque de bonne information sur l'abondance dans certaines parties de l'aire de répartition et le manque de surveillance et d'atténuation des prises accessoires de marsouins dans un grand nombre de pêches pertinentes justifient la préoccupation.
Assessment details
Year assessed
2006
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Environment Canada.
Criteria system used
Modified IUCN
Reference for methods given
COSEWIC- Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (2006)
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Atlantic Ocean
Is there a map available in assessment?
Not_assigned
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
Terrestrial
Not_assigned
Freshwater
Not_assigned
Marine
Not_assigned
Threats and conservation measures listed
Threats listed in assessment
No information available
History
The Northwest Atlantic population was designated Threatened in April 1990 and in April 1991. Status re-examined and designated Special Concern in May 2003 and in April 2006.; La population de l'Atlantique Nord-Ouest a été désignée ' menacée ' en avril 1990 et en avril 1991. Réexamen du statut : l'espèce a été désignée ' préoccupante ' en mai 2003 et en avril 2006.
Publication
COSEWIC. 2006. Canadian Wildlife Species at Risk. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Web site: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/wildlife-plants-species/species-risk.html