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Estimating the abundance of the critically endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) population using passive acoustic monitoring
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  • Mats Amundin,
  • Julia Carlström,
  • Len Thomas,
  • Ida Carlén,
  • Jens Koblitz,
  • Jonas Teilmann,
  • Jakob Tougaard,
  • Nick Tregenza,
  • Daniel Wennerberg,
  • Olli Loisa,
  • Katharina Brundiers,
  • Monika Kosecka,
  • Line A. Kyhn,
  • Cinthia Tiberi Ljungqvist,
  • Signe Sveegaard,
  • Louise Burt,
  • Iwona Pawliczka,
  • Ivar Jüssi,
  • Radomil Koza,
  • Bartlomiej Arciszewski,
  • Anders Galatius,
  • Martin Jabbusch,
  • Jussi Laaksonlaita,
  • Sami Lyytinen,
  • Jussi Niemi,
  • Aleksej Šaškov,
  • Jamie MacAulay,
  • Andrew Wright,
  • Anja Gallus,
  • Penina Blankett,
  • Michael Dähne,
  • Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez,
  • Harald Benke
Mats Amundin
Kolmarden Wildlife Park

Corresponding Author:mats.amundin@kolmarden.com

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Julia Carlström
AquaBiota Water Research
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Len Thomas
University of St Andrews
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Ida Carlén
AquaBiota Water Reserach
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Jens Koblitz
Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
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Jonas Teilmann
Aarhus Universitet
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Jakob Tougaard
Aarhus University
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Nick Tregenza
Chelonina Ltd
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Daniel Wennerberg
Kolmarden Wildlife Park
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Olli Loisa
Turku University of Applied Sciences
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Katharina Brundiers
German Oceanographic Museum
Monika Kosecka
University of Gdansk Institute of Oceanography
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Line A. Kyhn
Aarhus Universitet
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Cinthia Tiberi Ljungqvist
Kolmarden Wildlife Park
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Signe Sveegaard
Aarhus Universitet
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Louise Burt
University of St Andrews
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Iwona Pawliczka
University of Gdansk Institute of Oceanography
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Ivar Jüssi
Pro Mare MTÜ
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Radomil Koza
University of Gdansk Institute of Oceanography
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Bartlomiej Arciszewski
University of Gdansk Institute of Oceanography
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Anders Galatius
Aarhus Universitet
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Martin Jabbusch
German Oceanographic Museum
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Jussi Laaksonlaita
Turku University of Applied Sciences
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Sami Lyytinen
Turku University of Applied Sciences
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Jussi Niemi
Turku University of Applied Sciences
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Aleksej Šaškov
Klaipeda University
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Jamie MacAulay
Sea Mammal Research Unit
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Andrew Wright
Aarhus University
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Anja Gallus
German Oceanographic Museum
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Penina Blankett
Ymparistoministerio
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Michael Dähne
German Oceanographic Museum
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Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez
Western Washington University
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Harald Benke
German Oceanographic Museum
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Abstract

Knowing the abundance of a population is a crucial component to assess its conservation status and develop effective conservation plans. For most cetaceans, abundance estimation is difficult given their cryptic and mobile nature, especially when the population is small and has a transnational distribution. In the Baltic Sea, the number of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) has collapsed since the mid-20th century and the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN; however, its abundance remains unknown. Here, one of the largest ever passive acoustic monitoring studies was carried out by eight Baltic Sea nations to estimate the abundance of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise for the first time. By logging porpoise echolocation signals at 298 stations during May 2011-April 2013, calibrating the loggers’ spatial detection performance at sea, and measuring the click rate of tagged individuals, we estimated an abundance of 66-1,143 individuals (95% CI, point estimate 490) during May-October within the population’s proposed management border. The small abundance estimate strongly supports that the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is facing an extremely high risk of extinction, and highlights the need for immediate and efficient conservation actions through international cooperation. It also provides a starting point in monitoring the trend of the population abundance to evaluate the effectiveness of management measures and determine its interactions with the larger neighbouring Belt Sea population. Further, we offer evidence that design-based passive acoustic monitoring can generate reliable estimates of the abundance of rare and cryptic animal populations across large spatial scales.
08 Jul 2021Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
12 Jul 2021Submission Checks Completed
12 Jul 2021Assigned to Editor
29 Jul 2021Reviewer(s) Assigned
05 Oct 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
07 Oct 2021Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
17 Dec 20211st Revision Received
18 Dec 2021Submission Checks Completed
18 Dec 2021Assigned to Editor
18 Dec 2021Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
20 Dec 2021Editorial Decision: Accept
Feb 2022Published in Ecology and Evolution volume 12 issue 2. 10.1002/ece3.8554