Harbour Porpoise (Northwest Atlantic population)

Species at Risk Act (SARA) provides legal protection for wildlife species at risk to conserve biological diversity. It also acknowledges that all Canadians have a role to play in the conservation of wildlife species.

Before deciding whether Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) (Northwest Atlantic population) will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as Special Concern, we would like to hear your opinion, comments and suggestions regarding the possible ecological, cultural and economic impacts of listing or not listing this species under SARA.

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The Government of Canada is engaging with Canadians on whether Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) (Northwest Atlantic population) should be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk.

Please fill out the online survey. Thank you.

Key questions for discussion

Adding a species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk

The first step in the process to determine if a species should be listed under SARA is an assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). COSEWIC, an independent committee of experts, assesses the status of a species based on the best available scientific data, local ecological information, and Indigenous knowledge. COSEWIC then assigns the species a designation based on its risk of disappearing in Canada (e.g., endangered, threatened, special concern).

Once the species is assessed, the Government of Canada decides if it will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. Engagement is an important step in the process to gather opinions on the potential impacts of protecting a species under SARA.

Facts about Harbour Porpoise

Harbour Porpoises are among the smallest cetaceans, the animal group that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Females are larger than males with few individuals off eastern Canada exceeding 1.7 metres in total length. They have a rounded head that lacks an external beak (like a dolphin has). Their bodies are compact and stocky with a small, rounded, triangular dorsal fin located in the center of their back.

Body colour includes a black cape that extends over their back and side to varying degrees based on the  individual and their population (Figure 1). The sides are a mottled greyish white, fading to an almost white ventral surface (or belly). Individuals may exhibit dark eye, chin, and lip patches. Single or multiple dark stripes may extend from the angle of the mouth to the flippers.

Harbour Porpoises are highly mobile, and feed on a variety of small fishes and squid, including capelin, herring, hake, and juvenile cod with some variation in diet within the species range.

Female Harbour Porpoises reach maturity at 4-5 years old and can become pregnant with a single calf annually. The species is short-lived compared to other whales, dolphins, and porpoises with few individuals living past their teens.

In eastern Canada, Harbour Porpoises occur from the Bay of Fundy north to Niaqonaujang (Cape Aston), located south of the community of Clyde River on northern Baffin Island at approximately 70°N (Figure 2), with aerial surveys most commonly seeing porpoises along the south coast of Newfoundland and in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Harbour Porpoises are found in small groups of 1-3 individuals, are sometimes observed in groups up to 10, and rarely seen in large aggregations (100+) occurring when prey is abundant.  

As indicated by their name, Harbour Porpoises are sometimes found in harbours and bays, often during the summer. However, across their range they also occur in deep offshore water and are known to dive to depths of more than 400 m. They are well adapted to cold water due to their relatively thick blubber. They also have sophisticated acoustic abilities and produce extremely high-frequency clicks for echolocation (prey capture) and orientation.

Who assigned the Special Concern status to Harbour Porpoise?

The Northwest Atlantic population of Harbour Porpoises was most recently assessed as special concern by COSEWIC in May 2022. Under SARA, a special concern species is defined as one that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

Why is Harbour Porpoise, Northwest Atlantic population, at risk?

Bycatch in commercial fisheries has been identified as an important threat to Harbour Porpoises. They have been incidentally caught in fishing gear including bottom-set gillnets, tangle nets, and drifting gillnets. Although current levels of bycatch are unknown it is expected that this threat has decreased with the depletion of groundfish stocks and consequent reductions in fishing.

Other potential threats include habitat degradation by noise disturbance (e.g., aquaculture practices, industrial developments such as offshore wind, tidal, and wave energy, and oil and gas developments), fisheries (prey depletion), hunting, chemical pollution, disease, harmful algal blooms, and climate change.

If a species is listed under SARA

If Harbour Porpoise is listed as special concern, the species will not be subject to prohibitions under SARA (including killing, harming, harassing, capturing, possessing, buying, selling, or trading). However, the Government of Canada will be required to produce a management plan which outlines measures that will contribute to the conservation of Harbour Porpoise in Canadian waters. The management plan will be prepared in cooperation with Indigenous organizations and stakeholders. There may also be increased access to funding for scientific research and stewardship activities.

Related information

• Species at Risk Public Registry

Contact us

Species at Risk Program
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
PO Box 5667, St. John’s, NL  A1C 5X1
DFO.SARANL-LEPTNL.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca