This year, CetaScience has started with a project on monitoring harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) at the pier of IJmuiden, The Netherlands. Pictures of different porpoises have been collected and will be entered into the FinBase database system (Jeff Adams from NOAA Fisheries (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)) as a platform to analyse and compare the data worldwide in a similar manner. From preliminary data, we could already conclude that individual porpoises could be identified multiple times on different days, suggesting that the same individuals visited the monitoring site over again.
CetaScience wants to expand its observations with data collected at waarneming.nl to collect more information about identified individuals in time. Waarneming.nl is a public platform registers data collected by volunteers since 2007 and has accessible pictures of harbor porpoises since 2008.
For our monitoring we use a land based spot localized at the pier of IJmuiden (The Netherlands). We chose this site because this is a favorite spot for porpoises and they are regulary spotted here. Because it is a pier you can walk about 3 kilometers into the sea, which gives you a magnificent overview. Also it is an easily accessible place and popular among volunteers of waarneming.nl.
It is one of the best places to spot porpoises from land in the Netherlands, other good places are Marsdiep, Scheveningen, or the Oosterschelde.
In the Netherlands, the Rugvin Foundation runs a photo ID project that focuses in particular on porpoises the Oosterschelde (Eastern Schelde).
Everyone is unique, so are porpoises!
Our goal is to get a better insight in habitat use, annual return and relationships by using photo identification. And we are currently working on making a public catalogue, so you can go watch and recognize them by yourself!
Get involved!
We go out as often as possible but unfortunately we cannot monitor the site 24/7. Therefore any additional information is more than welcome!
So do you have a day off? Please go visit IJmuiden and take a picture of the porpoise you are spotting! Many people have never seen a porpoise in the wild, but we have them in the Netherlands right at our shore. Of course you will not see them every time you go out to the beach, but when you have some luck and are patient (call it ‘whale waiting’) you have a pretty good chance.
Keep your eyes open, and your camera ready, because the fun thing with porpoises is that they can appear (and again disappear) out of nowhere!
Any picture, in whatever quality, counts and can make a difference.
Nowadays almost everyone owns a smartphone with a camera, so a picture is easily taken. However, because we are looking for details when we identify them, we prefer photos taken with a camera of good quality.
Send your photo to foto@cetascience.org, including the date and location.
When spotting a porpoise, whether you did make a photo or not, please report your sighting to waarneming.nl.
Thank you in advance and enjoy the spotting!!
CetaScience 