Red List of Marine Mammals
Five species of Baltic Sea marine mammals were assessed in the HELCOM Red List assessment: the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), the Baltic ringed seal (Phoca hispida botnica), the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), and the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). Two different subpopulations were evaluated for both the harbour porpoise and the harbour seal.
Both subpopulations of harbour porpoise were regarded threatened – the Baltic Sea population even as Critically Endangered (CR) due to the dramatic declines and current low numbers. Among seals, the ringed seal and the Kalmarsund population of the harbour seal were categorised as Vulnerable (VU), whereas the grey seal and the southern Baltic population of the harbour seal were considered Least Concern (LC). The Eurasian otter was assessed Near Threatened (NT).
Please note: In the Species Information Sheet, Phocoena phocoena and Phoca vitulina vitulina have been assessed on a subspecies level. For these species, the different threat categories and criteria can be seen in the listing below.
Species Information Sheets
| Name | Species name | Threat category | Threat Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| HELCOM Red List Phocoena phocoena | Phocoena phocoena | Critically endangered (CR)/Vulnerable (VU) | C1,2a(ii)/A2a |
| HELCOM Red List Phoca vitulina vitulina | Phoca vitulina vitulina | Vulnerable (VU)/Least Concern (LC) | D1/- |
| HELCOM Red List Phoca hispida botnica | Phoca hispida botnica | Vulnerable (VU) | A3c |
| HELCOM Red List Lutra lutra | Lutra lutra | Near Threatened (NT) | D1 |
| HELCOM Red List Halichoerus grypus | Halichoerus grypus | Least Concern (LC) | – |
