Concerns about low number of whales counted in Dutch waters

Over 200 volunteers spotted a total of 60 porpoises, including a mother with a calf, during the Netherlands’ first National Whale Count on Saturday. There was also a possible dolphin sighting. Stichting Rugvin, the foundation behind the whale count, is concerned about how low the count was.

The volunteers watched for whales at 12 locations along the Dutch coast. Most of the whales were spotted in the Oosterschelde. Spotters counted 26 porpoises, the smallest whale species in Europe, there. Whales were also spotted in Vlissingen, Den Helder, Texel, Den Oever, and IJmuiden.

The figures aren’t good news, according to Stichting Rugvin. Five years ago, researchers counted 55 porpoises in the Oosterschelde alone. “This can be explained by the high mortality rate this summer,” foundation director Frank Zanderink said to NOS. “41 porpoises were found dead on beaches in 2024. The cause is still being investigated.”

Porpoises are affected by many negative human influences, Zanderink said. “Such as overfishing, disturbance by boats, chemical pollution, drowning in fish nets, and the warming of the seawater. The North Sea is not a paradise for them. Whales need a lot of food. But the sea has been overfished.”

Stichting Rugvin will repeat the National Whale Count annually. It hopes to raise awareness of the porpoises, dolphins, and humpback whales that frequent Dutch waters and what human activity means for them.