Harbour porpoise protection: Guidelines for motorboat drivers in Lillebælt

The animal welfare project is based on a study by the Institute of Ecosciences at Aarhus University in Roskilde. The department focussed on the effects of passing motorboats on harbour porpoises. This primarily includes the behaviour and well-being of the animals. This is reported by the Bådmagasinet, Denmark's maritime media house. Accordingly, those involved are now appealing to motorboat drivers to reduce their speed as soon as they encounter the marine mammals. The study has resulted in a number of guidelines that should be followed when encountering harbour porpoises in Lillbælt.

• The most important recommendation: "Reduce your speed when you are in the vicinity of harbour porpoises. In addition, switch off the sonar - what some people call an echo sounder - on the boat," says biologist and marine mammal expert at BioNaut, Jakob Højer Kristensen, in the Danish regional newspaperVejle Amts Folkeblad quoted.
• What's more, harbour porpoises themselves use echo sound when they hunt. "So if there's a lot of noise around them, they can't hear their echo, which in turn makes it more difficult for them to hunt," says Jakob Højer Kristensen.

A large number of excursion boats and companies have already decided to support Lillebælt Nature Park's project and follow the recommendations.

As a motorboat driver, you should be considerate of the harbour porpoises in Lillebælt:

1. Always try to approach parallel to the harbour porpoises.
2. Approach harbour porpoises slowly at a maximum of 5 knots (within a distance of 300 m).
3. Always switch off the echo sounder/sonar when observing harbour porpoises.
4. Never actively drive closer than 50 metres to porpoises.
5. If the porpoises are suddenly closer than 50 metres to the boat, keep your course and speed constant.
6. Do not chase harbour porpoises by boat, water ski, kayak, surfboard, jet ski or fast sailing boats.
7. Avoid sudden changes of speed and course in the vicinity of harbour porpoises.
8. Limit your observation time to 30 minutes per animal/group.
9. Leave harbour porpoise mothers with calves alone! Never cut a calf off from its mother, for example by moving between them or travelling through their swimming direction.
10. Be especially careful when harbour porpoises are feeding.
11. Watch out for signs of disturbance (then end the observation time): Sudden change in diving behaviour, longer dives of more than 2 minutes and that the porpoises stop foraging.
12. You should not feed the harbour porpoises.
13. You should not swim near harbour porpoises.

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