Most stranded porpoises wash up on Dutch beaches | Inland

According to the researchers, more than 16,000 of these dead whales have been found on European North Sea coasts since 1990. The scientists also discovered that since 2005 there has been a noticeably stronger increase in strandings, especially in the southern North Sea, while the stranding numbers in the more northern parts of the North Sea hardly changed.

Why relatively many porpoises wash up on the coast in the Netherlands is unknown. “There is uncertainty about the possible impact of the construction of offshore wind farms on marine mammals and their habitat. In order to estimate the negative effects of activities at sea in relation to porpoises, we need a good picture of their distribution, population demographics and mortality, ”says biologist Lonneke IJsseldijk of Utrecht University.

Harbor porpoises are one of the smaller whale species. These fish are also shy. They usually live alone or in small groups and spend little time at the water surface.

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