18 May 2025 - This Sunday marks the International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise (#IDBHP), an annual day dedicated to raising awareness about the only cetacean native to the Baltic Sea: Phocoena phocoena.

The Baltic harbour porpoise is currently listed as Critically Endangered by both IUCN and HELCOM, with numbers having declined drastically since the mid-twentieth century due to multiple threats including bycatch in fishing gear, environmental contaminants, and historical hunting.

Since 2002, the UN Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS) has been helping countries to implement the Jastarnia Plan, a recovery plan for Baltic harbour porpoises, addressing key threats through coordinated international action. The 21st meeting of the ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group in March 2025 identified several priority actions: immediate bycatch mitigation measures, improved monitoring programs for both porpoises and fishing activities, effective management of protected areas addressing all relevant threats (including underwater noise and prey availability), and the designation of new protected areas.

The conservation actions benefit not only the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise population, but also other species sharing their habitat, and the entire Baltic ecosystem. Anyone can take part in this collective effort. Whether by sharing information on social media, raising awareness within your community, supporting research initiatives, or advocating for conservation actions, you can contribute to the raising awareness about the Baltic harbour porpoise.

Campaign page: https://www.ascobans.org/en/campaign/international-day-baltic-harbour-porpoise