Finland to have two compulsory porpoise inspectors

HELSINGIN SANOMAT - INTERNATIONAL EDITION

16th December 2005

Two porpoise observers will be appointed in Finland, following the EU's decision to start compulsory porpoise inspections.  The jobs could be opened to applicants possibly before Christmas.

The EU wants compulsory inspectors to travel with the European fishing fleets because the fishermen's own reporting of incidental catches is seen as an unreliable way of collecting data on porpoises internationally.
      
The Finnish porpoise watchers will work under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and they will be appointed for a two-year term.

The inspections are scheduled to begin in February 2006 and under the EU regulations, Finland is obliged to run the porpoise inspections over the next two years until the EU drift-net fishing ban is fully in force in 2008.

The inspectors will be stationed at the Employment and Economic Development Centre in Turku.  The porpoise observers are expected to have basic navigational and sample-taking skills, experience in recognising species of small whales, sufficient knowledge of fishing biology and methods, and the ability to make scientific observations.

"Responsibilities of the inspectors will also include some sample-taking for the Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute.  It is unlikely that any porpoises will actually be spotted, so through these extra activities, the inspectors can do something useful", says senior officer for fisheries Jarmo Vilhunen from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
      
The porpoise inspectors will monitor the unintentional catching of small whales by Finland's fishing fleet during the summer months.  They will also collect data on the catch contents and record the starting and finishing date and the types of nets used in fishing.

During the winter season, the inspectors will do administrative tasks assigned by the ministry.

The EU porpoise inspection regulations only concern vessels that are over 15 metres long.  Currently there are 5 Finnish fishing vessels of that size working in the Baltic Sea.

The porpoise inspectors are expected to travel with the drifter fleet 56 days a year.  There have been some concerns that the smaller vessels would not have accommodation or other space for the observers, and that they might hamper the work of the fishermen.
      
The entire issue of Brussels-mandated "whale watchers" has generated a certain amount of eyebrow-raising in Finnish circles, as the only species that Finnish fishing vessels could even conceivably encounter is the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena).

At the beginning of the 20th century there were thought to be around 10,000 harbour porpoises in the Baltic Sea region, but the stock has declined rapidly, both through drift-fishing accidents and from environmental toxins and loss of habitat.  In 2004 there was only one sighting of a harbour porpoise in Finnish waters, near Porvoo.  The current population in the Southern Baltic is thought to number around 600.


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