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Meet the 2023 Interns: Kaylee McKenna

I'm excited to introduce Kaylee McKenna as WDC's summer Marine Mammal Conservation Intern. Kaylee has...
Lasting legacies

Lasting Legacies: Orca Action Month 2023

Each June we celebrate Orca Month and the unique community of Southern Resident orcas, and this...
North Atlantic right whale - Peter Flood

Whale AID 2023: A Night of Music and Hope for North Atlantic Right Whales

The inaugural Whale AID concert to support Whale and Dolphin Conservation's (WDC's) work to protect...
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Meet the 2023 Interns: Thomas Zoutis

I'm happy to introduce WDC's first Marine Mammal Conservation Intern of the year, Thomas Zoutis!...
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Double Your Impact for Marine Animal Rescue & Response

On a chilly day this past December, the WDC North America team celebrated the first...
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WDC’s Education Wishlist = Cleared!

To the WDC Community, I want to thank you so much for your support of...
Hysazu Photography

Looking forward for Southern Resident orcas in 2023

Hysazu Photography 2022 was a big year for Southern Resident orcas - 2022 brought the...
Credit: Seacoast Science Center

The Unlikely Adventure of Shoebert, a Young Grey Seal Who Visited an Industrial Park Pond

Credit: Seacoast Science Center In mid-September, our stranding partners in northern Massachusetts were inundated with...

Harbour porpoises on the move, or just especially elusive?

The past few months have been significant for rare sightings of some species of whales and dolphins (north Pacific right whales off the west coast of the US, a grey whale in Namibia – the first ever sighting of the species in the southern hemisphere, and common dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea) – now however it’s the turn of their smaller cousin, the harbour porpoise.

Researchers surveying in the northern Aegean Sea (which lies between Greece and Turkey – see map) have sighted what they believe to be the the first confirmed sightings of live harbour porpoises in Aegean waters since 1997.

Thought to be extinct in the Mediterranean since the 19th century, there have only been two live sightings of this species in the area (one group in 1993 and one lone individual in 1997) and further documentation of several dead stranded animals on Greek and Turkish coasts each year. The researchers were treated to sightings of four groups of porpoises – and perhaps many more recored on their underwater acoustic equipment – a first for Turkish Aegean waters and the first in over 16 years in the Mediterranean.

There is some speculation that these animals are actually part of the endangered and genetically distinct sub-species of Black Sea harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena relicta) and have travelled to the Aegean from the Black Sea. However, there is still the possibility that a Mediterranean sub-population exists. 

If one thing is for sure, whales, dolphins and porpoises continue to surprise us!