The big Four

Just four marine mammal species breed in the Baltic Sea today. Three of them are seals - the grey seal, the common or harbour seal and the ringed seal; the fourth - the harbour porpoise - is a small whale.

Caught up in fishing nets

More detailed information is needed on fishing by-catches, especially the significant numbers of marine mammals accidentally caught in fishing nets and traps. The following figures indicate the average annual by-catches of marine mammals between 1994 and 1998:

Harbour porpoise

· 5 in Polish waters
· 3-5 in Swedish waters
· 12 in German waters

Seals

· 200 (80% grey seals) in Estonian waters
· 9 in Polish waters
· 0 - 1 in German waters
· 400 in Swedish waters

(by-catch statistics are not available for several countries)

	Sub-fossil remains of killer whales (Orcinus orca), and even one enormous grey whale (Eschirichtius robustus), have been found in sediments around the Baltic laid down in post-glacial seas that were better connected to the Atlantic.

Contacts

Chairman of HELCOM HABITAT

Jan Ekebom
Metsähallitus
P.O. Box 94
FIN-01301 Vantaa
Finland
Tel: +358 20 5644457
Fax: +358 20 5644350 

HELCOM Secretariat

Professional Secretary
Mr. Juha-Markku Leppänen
Tel: +358 9 6220 2227