Agenda Item 6.1.3 Further Implementation of the Agreement
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9th Meeting of the Parties ASCOBANS/MOP9/Inf.6.1.3b Online, 7 - 11 September 2020 Dist. 3 September 2020 Agenda Item 6.1.3 Further Implementation of the Agreement Species Action Plans Conservation Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea (North Sea Plan) Information Document 6.1.3b Report of the Joint IMR/NAMMCO International Workshop on the Status of Harbour Porpoises in the North Atlantic Action Requested Take note Submitted by NAMMCO Note: Delegates are kindly reminded to bring their own document copies to the meeting, if needed. Report of the Joint IMR/NAMMCO International Workshop on the Status of Harbour Porpoises in the North Atlantic December 3rd - 7th 2018, Tromsø, Norway © Gunnar Sætra, IMR © North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) & Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (IMR) Please cite this report as: North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission and the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. (2019). Report of Joint IMR/NAMMCO International Workshop on the Status of Harbour Porpoises in the North Atlantic. Tromsø, Norway. DISCLAIMER: This report contains the views of the those attending the workshop and does not necessarily represent the position of the IMR or NAMMCO Scientific Committee and Council. Although every effort has been made to compile the most accurate and up to date information, the workshop participants do not claim that this report represents a comprehensive account of all available information. Acknowledgements The Joint IMR/NAMMCO International Workshop on the Status of Harbour Porpoises in the North Atlantic was funded through grants from the Fram Centre flagship program “Fjord and Coast” (project “The role of harbor porpoise in Norwegian coastal marine communities”) and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway (IMR), with in kind support provided by NAMMCO. The work of the Organisation Committee is gratefully acknowledged. Gratitude is particularly extended to NAMMCO Scientific and Communications Assistant Solveig Enoksen for facilitating meetings of the Committee and arranging all practical logistics for the workshop, as well as to NAMMCO Scientific Secretary Fern Wickson for compiling the report. Table of Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 6 2. Background ......................................................................................................................... 7 a. Stock Identity .............................................................................................................................. 7 Genetic Structure & Evolution of North Atlantic Porpoise Populations (Michael C. Fontaine) ................................. 7 SNPs and Close Kin Analysis Improve Population Resolution for the Harbour Porpoise (Ralph Tiedemann) ........... 8 Genetic Structure of Harbour Porpoise in Norwegian Waters (Maria Quintela) ....................................................... 9 The Movement of Greenlandic Harbour Porpoises (Nynne Lemming) .................................................................... 10 Stock Identity: North Sea & Baltic (Signe Sveegaard) .............................................................................................. 10 Discussion of Stock Identity Presentations .............................................................................................................. 11 Map of the Assessment Areas Developed and Used in the Workshop ................................................................. 13 b. Lethal pressures ........................................................................................................................ 13 By-catch (Finn Larsen) .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Discussion of By-catch.............................................................................................................................................. 15 c. Sub-lethal pressures .................................................................................................................. 16 Chemical Pollutants (Sinéad Murphy and Florence Caurant) .................................................................................. 16 Discussion of Chemical Pollutants ........................................................................................................................... 17 Disturbance (Jakob Tougaard) ................................................................................................................................. 17 Discussion of Disturbance ........................................................................................................................................ 21 d. Feeding Ecology ........................................................................................................................ 22 Harbour Porpoise Feeding (Graham Pierce) ............................................................................................................ 22 Discussion of Feeding Ecology ................................................................................................................................. 23 e. Life History ............................................................................................................................... 23 Life History of Harbour Porpoises (Sinéad Murphy) ................................................................................................ 23 Discussion of Life History ......................................................................................................................................... 25 f. Modelling the Population Consequences of Disturbance ............................................................ 25 The PCoD framework for capturing impacts from disturbance (Leslie New) .......................................................... 25 Discussion of the PCoD Model ................................................................................................................................. 25 3. Area Assessments .............................................................................................................. 26 The Status Assessment Methodology Selected & Implemented during the Workshop (Debra Palka) ................... 26 Underlying Assumptions of the Selected Status Assessment Methodology ........................................................... 28 Discussion of Selected Assessment Methodology ................................................................................................... 29 a. Eastern USA: Gulf of Maine/Bay of Fundy Assessment ............................................................... 29 Data Inputs & Limitations ........................................................................................................................................ 29 Results & Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................. 30 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................ 31 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................... 31 b. Eastern Canada: Newfoundland and Labrador & Gulf of St. Lawrence ......................................... 31 Data Inputs & Limitations ........................................................................................................................................ 31 Results & Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................. 32 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................ 33 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................... 33 c. Greenland ................................................................................................................................. 34 d. Iceland ...................................................................................................................................... 34 Data Inputs & Limitations ........................................................................................................................................ 34 Results & Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................. 34 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................ 35 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................................... 36 e. Faroe Islands ............................................................................................................................. 36 Data Inputs & Limitations ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Results & Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................