Short Science Summary: Harbor Porpoises and Offshore Wind Energy

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Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) are a small and abundant cetacean species. Found throughout the temperate and subarctic waters of the northern hemisphere, they prefer shallow, coastal waters, and feed near the bottom on small fish, squid, and crustaceans. Most concerns about offshore wind energy and Harbor porpoises are associated with construction activities, particularly if pile driving is required to install turbine foundations. This summary represents a general overview of the research, produced by WREN under IEA Wind. The table below contains the literature relevant to harbor porpoises and the offshore wind energy industry and will continue to be updated as new literature is added to Tethys.

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Sources of Information on Harbor Porpoises:

Title Author Date Content Type Technology Stressor Receptor
A decision framework to identify populations that are most vulnerable to the population level effects of disturbance Wilson, L., Harwood, J., Booth, C., Joy, R., Harris, C. Journal Article Noise Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Reducing offshore pile driving noise: Modification of the hammer impulse Klages, E., Von Pein, J., Lippert, S., Von Estor, O. Conference Paper Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Changing distribution of the east coast of Scotland bottlenose dolphin population and the challenges of area‐based management Civil, M., Quick, N., Cheney, B., Pirotta, E., Thompson, P., Hammond, P. Journal Article Marine Spatial Planning, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Cetaceans
Automated detection and tracking of marine mammals: A novel sonar tool for monitoring effects of marine industry Hastie, G., Wu, G., Moss, S., Jepp, P., Macaulay, J., Lee, A., Sparling, C., Evers, C., Gillespie, D. Journal Article Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
Measuring responses of harbour seals to potential aversive acoustic mitigation signals using controlled exposure behavioural response studies Gordon, J., Blight, C., Bryant, E., Thompson, D. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Improving visual biodiversity assessments of motile fauna in turbid aquatic environments Jones, R., Griffin, R., Rees, S., Unsworth, R. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Wave, Tidal, Offshore Wind, Marine Energy (General) Marine Mammals, Invertebrates, Fish, Demersal Fish
Placing Green Energy in the Sea: Offshore Wind Farms, Dolphins, Oysters, and the Territorial Politics of the Intertidal Zone in Taiwan Hung, P. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Monitoring of Marine Mammal Strandings Along French Coasts Reveals the Importance of Ship Strikes on Large Cetaceans: A Challenge for the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive Peltier, H., Beaufils, A., Cesarini, C., Dabin, W., Dars, C., Demaret, F., Dhermain, F., Doremus, G., Labach, H., Canneyt, O., Spitz, J. Journal Article Collision Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Wave Energy in Tropical Regions: Deployment Challenges, Environmental and Social Perspectives Felix, A., Hernández-Fontes, J., Lithgow, D., Mendoza, E., Posada, G., Ring, M., Silva, R. Journal Article Wave, Marine Energy (General) Social & Economic Data, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Fish, Birds
Effect of Pile-Driving Playback Sound Level on Fish-Catching Efficiency in Harbor Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) Kastelein, R., Huijser, L., Cornelisse, S., Helder-Hoek, L., Jennings, N., de Jong, C. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
Acoustic characterization of sensors used for marine environmental monitoring Cotter, E., Murphy, P., Bassett, C., Williamson, B., Polagye, B. Journal Article Noise Marine Mammals
Potential Benefits of Vessel Slowdowns on Endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales Joy, R., Tollit, D., Wood, J., MacGillivray, A., Li, Z., Trounce, K., Robinson, O. Journal Article Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Harbour porpoise responses to pile-driving diminish over time Graham, I., Merchant, N., Farcas, A., Barton, T., Cheney, B., Bono, S., Thompson, P. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
Imaging sonar review for marine environmental monitoring around tidal turbines Joslin, J. Report Marine Energy (General), Tidal Collision Fish, Marine Mammals
Effects of noise-mitigated offshore pile driving on harbour porpoise abundance in the German Bight 2014-2016 (Gescha 2) Rose, A., Brandt, M., Vilela, R., Diederichs, A., Schubert, A., Kosarev, V., Nehls, G., Volkenandt, M., Wahl, V., Michalik, A., Wendeln, H., Freund, A., Ketzer, C., Limmer, B., Laczny, M., Piper, W. Report Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
Effect of impact pile driving noise on marine mammals: A comparison of different noise exposure criteria Stober, U., Thomsen, F. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Pinnipeds
Best available science? Are NOAA Fisheries marine mammal noise exposure guidelines up to date? Stocker, M. Conference Paper Noise Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Minimizing wildlife impacts for offshore wind energy development: Winning tradeoffs for seabirds in space and cetaceans in time Best, B., Halpin, P. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise, Collision Seabirds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Birds
Impact of pile-driving on Hector's dolphin in Lyttelton Harbour, New Zealand Leunissen, E., Rayment, W., Dawson, S. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind, Marine Energy (General) Noise, Avoidance Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Effects of impulsive noise on marine mammals: investigating range‐dependent risk Hastie, G., Merchant, N., Götz, T., Russell, D., Thompson, P., Janik, V. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals
Providing ecological context to anthropogenic subsea noise: Assessing listening space reductions of marine mammals from tidal energy devices Pine, M., Schmitt, P., Culloch, R., Lieber, L., Kregting, L. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy (General) Noise Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
Empirical Determination of Severe Trauma in Seals from Collisions with Tidal Turbine Blade Onoufriou, J., Brownlow, A., Moss, S., Hastie, G. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy (General) Pinnipeds, Marine Spatial Planning, Marine Mammals
Three‐dimensional movements of harbour seals in a tidally energetic channel: Application of a novel sonar tracking system Hastie, G., Bivins, M., Coram, A., Gordon, J., Jepp, P., Macaulay, J., Sparling, C., Gillespie, D. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy (General) Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
Marine Mammal Noise Exposure Criteria: Updated Scientific Recommendations for Residual Hearing Effects Southhall, B., Finneran, J., Reichmuth, C., Nachtigall, P., Ketten, D., Bowles, A., Ellison, W., Nowacek, D., Tyack, P. Journal Article Noise Marine Mammals
Monitoring getijdenturbines Oosterscheldekering Jaarrapportage 2018 Leopold, M., Scholl, M. Report Tidal, Marine Energy (General) Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Soundscape of an Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) hotspot before windfarm construction in the Pearl River Estuary, China: Do dolphin engage in noise avoidance and passive eavesdropping behavior? Wang, Z., Akamatsu, T., Nowacek, D., Yuan, J., Zhou, L., Lei, P., Li, J., Duan, P., Wang, K., Wang, D. Journal Article Offshore Wind Noise, Avoidance Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Best Management Practices for North Atlantic Right Whales During Offshore Wind Energy Construction and Operations Along the U.S. East Coast NRDC Report Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Feeding home ranges of pacific coast feeding group gray whales Lagerquist, B., Palacios, D., Winsor, M., Irvine, L., Follett, T., Mate, B. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind, Marine Energy (General) Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Detection of Visual Signatures of Marine Mammals and Fish within Marine Renewable Energy Farms using Multibeam Imaging Sonar Francisco, F., Sundberg, J. Journal Article Marine Energy (General) Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals, Fish
Considerations for Upscaling Individual Effects of Wind Energy Development Towards Population-Level Impacts on Wildlife May, R., Masden, E., Bennet, F., Perron, M. Journal Article Wind Energy (General) Marine Mammals, Birds, Bats
Underwater Noise: Sources and Effects on Marine Life Rako-Gospić, N., Picciulin, M. Book Chapter Noise Marine Mammals, Invertebrates, Fish
Basin-wide contributions to the underwater soundscape by multiple seismic surveys with implications for marine mammals in Baffin Bay, Greenland Kyhn, L., Wisniewska, D., Beedholm, K., Tougaard, J., Simon, M., Mosbech, A., Madsen, P. Journal Article Noise Marine Mammals
Retrospective and Outlook for an Environmentally Sound Development of Offshore Wind Energy Lüdeke, J. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Cetaceans, Birds
World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation Volume III: Ecological Issues and Environmental Impacts Sheppard, C. Book Noise Birds, Ecosystem Processes, Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Fisheries, Legal & Policy
Acoustic monitoring reveals the times and tides of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) distribution off central Oregon, U.S.A. Holdman, A., Haxel, J., Klinck, H., Torres, L. Journal Article Marine Mammals
Environmental Impacts of Offshore Wind Farms in the Belgian Part of the North Sea: Marking a Decade of Monitoring, Research and Innovation Degraer, S., Brabant, R., Rumes, B., Vigin, L. Report Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Chemicals, Noise Birds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans, Human Dimensions, Fisheries
Baseline Presence of and Effects of Tidal Turbine Installation and Operations on Harbour Porpoise in Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, Canada Tollit, D., Joy, R., Wood, J., Redden, A., Booth, C., Boucher, T., Porskamp, P., Oldreive, M. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy (General) Noise, Avoidance Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Humpback Whales and Floating Offshore Wind Farm Animation Grear, M., Copping, A., Sanders, G., Guiltinan, S. Video Offshore Wind Entrapment Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Oceanographic drivers of marine mammal and seabird habitat-use across shelf-seas: A guide to key features and recommendations for future research and conservation management Cox, S., Embling, C., Hosegood, P., Votier, S., Ingram, S. Journal Article Seabirds, Marine Mammals, Birds
Fine-Scale Hydrodynamic Metrics Underlying Predator Occupancy Patterns in Tidal Stream Environments Lieber, L., Nimmo-Smith, A., Waggitt, J., Kregting, L. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy (General) Marine Mammals
Empirical measures of harbor seal behavior and avoidance of an operational tidal turbine Joy, R., Wood, J., Sparling, C., Tollit, D., Copping, A., McConnell, B. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy (General) Displacement, Collision, Avoidance Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
Effects of larger turbines for the offshore wind farm at Krieger's Flak, Sweden. Assessment of impact on marine mammals Tougaard, J., Mikaelsen, M. Report Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Humpback Whale Encounter with Offshore Wind Mooring Lines and Inter-Array Cables Copping, A., Grear, M. Report Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Entrapment Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Underwater noise levels of pile-driving in a New Zealand harbour, and the potential impacts on endangered Hector's dolphins Leunissen, E., Dawson, S. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Marine Mammals, Cetaceans
Understanding the population consequences of disturbance Pirotta, E., Booth, C., Costa, D., Fleishman, E., Kraus, S., Lusseau, D., Moretti, D., New, L., Schick, R., Schwarz, L., Simmons, S., Thomas, L., Tyack, P., Weise, M., Wells, R., Harwood, J. Journal Article Marine Mammals, Human Dimensions, Environmental Impact Assessment
Predicting the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on marine populations Nabe-Nielsen, J., van Beest, F., Grimm, V., Sibly, R., Teilmann, J., Thompson, P. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise, Avoidance Marine Mammals
Applying a simple model for estimating the likelihood of collision of marine mammals with tidal turbines Copping, A., Grear, M. Journal Article Tidal, Marine Energy (General) Collision Marine Mammals
Effects of Noise on Marine Mammals Erbe, C., Dunlop, R., Dolman, S. Book Chapter Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind, Marine Energy (General) Noise Marine Mammals
Marine Mammal Behavioral Response to Tidal Turbine Sound Robertson, F., Wood, J., Joslin, J., Joy, R., Polagye, B. Report Tidal, Marine Energy (General) Noise, Avoidance Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
Effect of pile-driving sounds on harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) hearing Kastelein, R., Helder-Hoek, L., Kommeren, A., Covi, J, Gransier, R. Journal Article Wind Energy (General), Offshore Wind Noise Pinnipeds, Marine Mammals
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