A remarkable increase in the number of stranded harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena at the Belgian coast

The harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena is by far the most common cetacean in the North Sea. It was considered common in the southern part of the North Sea in the first half of the 20th century but since the 1960ies numbers gradually decreased. In the 1970ies and 1980ies the species probably was virtually absent from Belgian waters. Since the early 1990ies the abundance of the porpoise has increased markedly in the coastal waters of Belgium and The Netherlands. During the last years, especially between January and April, frequent sightings were made in Belgian waters, even from the coast. The h... Mehr ...