There are three species of marine mammals in Finnish waters
Marine mammals differ from other marine organisms in that they, like humans, breathe oxygen using lungs. In addition, they give birth to live young and nurse them with high-fat milk. While they are often assigned intelligence by humans, marine mammals are indeed creative and very quick to learn, especially when motivated by the need for food.
Marine mammals mainly include whales, dolphins and pinnipeds, but it also includes i.e. sea otters and polar bears. Some marine mammals spend their entire lives in water, while others spend varying periods of time on land or on ice.
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Find out moreThe EU Nature and Birds Directives
Three marine mammal species occur in Finland’s marine waters: the grey seal, the Baltic ringed seal, and the harbour porpoise. They are all protected under the EU’s Habitats Directive.
Of these, only the grey- and ringed seals breed in Finnish waters. Only a few observations are made of porpoises each year. All other marine mammal species found in Finnish coastal areas, such as dolphins and humpback whales, are extremely rare visitors and have only ended up in Finnish waters by accident.
The common threats to Finnish marine mammals include entanglement in fishing gears, environmental toxins, and underwater noise. For its survival, the Baltic ringed seal is particularly dependent on ice and snow cover that are decreasing due to climate change.
