Spatial ecology of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): supporting conservation in an ocean under pressure

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dc.check.date2027-06-30
dc.check.infoControlled Access
dc.contributor.advisorRogan, Emer
dc.contributor.advisorJessopp, Mark John
dc.contributor.advisorexternalPirotta, Enrico
dc.contributor.authorGoh, Tiffanyen
dc.contributor.funderDepartment of the Environment, Climate and Communicationsen
dc.contributor.funderSustainable Energy Authority of Irelanden
dc.contributor.funderDepartment of Housing, Local Government and Heritageen
dc.date.accessioned2026-05-28T13:27:13Z
dc.date.available2026-05-28T13:27:13Z
dc.date.issued2025-06-09
dc.date.submitted2025-06-09
dc.descriptionControlled Access
dc.description.abstractMarine ecosystems are under increasing pressure from a growing range of human activities, including fishing, vessel traffic, and pollution, compounded by climate-driven changes in ocean conditions. These cumulative stressors have led to habitat degradation, biodiversity loss, and shifts in species distributions. The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), a small cetacean widely distributed in the northeast Atlantic and a protected species, is particularly vulnerable to such pressures, notably incidental bycatch in gillnet fisheries. In Irish waters, however, limited understanding of the species’ spatial ecology and a lack of systematic bycatch monitoring hinder effective conservation and management. This thesis addresses key knowledge gaps in the spatial ecology and conservation of harbour porpoises within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone. First, it identifies the optimal spatial and temporal scales at which environmental variables influence porpoise presence, demonstrating that selecting appropriate scales enhances model performance and reduces predictive uncertainty. Second, it applies these scales to model seasonal distributions of harbour porpoises, indicating a decline in the probability of sighting harbour porpoises and evidence of a contraction in distribution to the Irish Sea. Third, it develops a risk-based framework to assess seasonal bycatch risk by integrating predicted porpoise distributions with gillnet fishing effort. This approach provides a spatially explicit means of identifying high-risk areas in the absence of direct bycatch data and highlights regions where risk persists across years. Finally, spatial prioritisation analyses were conducted to inform conservation planning, integrating ecological, legal, and socio-economic data to evaluate how porpoise conservation targets could be achieved within existing and future marine-use contexts. Collectively, this research advances the understanding of harbour porpoise spatial ecology and demonstrates how multi-scale habitat modelling, risk assessment, and spatial planning can be integrated to inform management. The findings provide an evidence base to refine or expand Special Areas of Conservation, guide bycatch monitoring and mitigation, and support the broader goal of safeguarding marine biodiversity in Irish waters.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Versionen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationGoh, T. 2025. Spatial ecology of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): supporting conservation in an ocean under pressure. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.
dc.identifier.endpage223
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/18929
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.relation.projectDepartment of the Environment, Climate and Communications (ObSERVE Phase 2 Aerial Project)
dc.rights© 2025, Tiffany Goh.
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.subjectAerial surveysen
dc.subjectSpecies distribution modelsen
dc.subjectHarbour porpoise conservationen
dc.subjectSpatial prioritisationen
dc.subjectBycatch risk assessmenten
dc.titleSpatial ecology of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): supporting conservation in an ocean under pressureen
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD - Doctor of Philosophyen
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