Examine habitat exclusion and long term effect of pingers

This project is directly relevant to the conservation of harbour porpoises and thus to the objectives of ASCOBANS. Pingers have proven an effective tool to mitigate bycatch, but here we aim to assess potential side-effect of pingers (habituation and habitat exclusion), which will determine whether pingers can actually be implemented in areas of high porpoise density such as SACs. This project is urgent not only in relation to the management of nationally appointed SACs in the EC, but also to the general protection of harbour porpoises elsewhere. The project will significantly add to information requested under “Conservation issues “points 1 and 3 in the ASCOBANS Draft Triennial Work Plan (2010-2012), with point 1 addressing bycatch of porpoises and the need for Parties and Range States to provide information “on the implementation, efficacy and impacts of measures introduced to reduce bycatch and point 3 requesting review of the extent of negative effects of sound on small cetaceans. The proposed study is also included in one of the recommendations in the draft Conservation Plan for Western Baltic, Belt Sea and Kattegat. Furthermore, the issue of pinger side-effects have been discussed on numerous occasions in meetings organised under the auspices of ASCOBANS e.g. the Jastarnia Group, the North Sea group and the AC meetings.

Quantifying the pinger exposure in the area with mandatory pinger use in all gillnet fisheries (the Great Belt, Dernmark).

Simultaneously monitor harbour porpoise presence in the Great Belt to examine whether pinger noise results in decreased porpoise presence and whether the porpoises habituate to the pinger sound over time.

Description:Deploying three Loggerhead DSG noise loggers together with three C-PODs already installed in order to quantify pinger noise exposure simultaneously
Start date:25 June 2012
End date:30 June 2014
Responsibility:Aarhus University
Output:Evaluation of the hypothesis that porpoises are displaced by pinger sounds. Evaluation of the Hypothesis that porpoises habituate to pingers over time.
Description:Comparing the two measures to evaluate the hypothesis that porpoises are displaced by pinger sounds; and since both C-PODs and noise loggers will be deployed for a year also evaluate the hypothesis that porpoises habituate to pingers over time
Start date:25 June 2012
End date:30 June 2014
Responsibility:Aarhus University
Output:Evaluation of the hypothesis that porpoises are displaced by pinger sounds. Evaluation of the Hypothesis that porpoises habituate to pingers over time.
Description:Recording of pinger sounds and analysing the noise logger files which measure both porpoise presence and pinger exposure
Start date:25 June 2012
End date:30 June 2014
Responsibility:Aarhus University
Output:Evaluation of the hypothesis that porpoises are displaced by pinger sounds. Evaluation of the Hypothesis that porpoises habituate to pingers over time.

Related content

No pictures for Examine habitat exclusion and long term effect of pingers


Implementing AgencyLine Anker Kyhn / Aarhus University, Denmark,
Collaborating agenciesThe Danish AgriFish Agency, under the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries in Denmark, provided funding for the monitoring of harbour porpoises.

Activity start dateJanuary 2012
Activity end dateJune 2014
CMS AppendixAppendix II
Taxonomic groupMarine mammals
Target countryDenmark
Final technical reportNo

Human Disturbance
Noise pollution