Memories of Porpoises: The shared past of humans and porpoises in the Finnish sea area

The “Memories of Porpoises” project explores the shared past of humans and the nowadays extremely endangered Baltic Sea porpoises in the Finnish sea area from the 19th century to the present. The research data is collected by interviewing residents of the Finnish archipelago and through historical material such as newspapers and magazines as well as archival material. The material is studied interdisciplinarily in the project together with humanists and naturalists.

The “Memories of Porpoises” project works closely with the Ministry of the Environment and Turku University of Applied Sciences responsible for the conservation and monitoring of the Baltic porpoises. The project also works as part of the Disappeared, Endangered and Newly Arrived Species: The Human Relationship with the Changing Biodiversity of the Baltic Sea (HumBio), funded by the Academy of Finland from 2021 to 2025. The “Memories of Porpoises” project is conducted at the School of History, Culture and Art Studies of the University of Turku. The project is funded by the Weisell Foundation (http://www.weisell.fi/)