The harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is a frequent species present in Skjálfandi Bay (Iceland). This study used data collected from whale watching tours over the past 10 years to give an estimation of the annual and seasonal distribution of this species in relation to the effort and environmental variables. The kernel distribution analysis showed a clear hotspot for harbor porpoises on the west side of the bay, which might be related to the water dynamics such as vertical mixing as this area appeared to be relevant for other cetacean species in previous studies too. The GAM analysis included variables such as latitude, longitude, distance to coast, sea surface temperature (SST), depth, slope and aspect but only the first four were found significant explaining 31% of the deviance. This is one of the few studies on harbor porpoise distribution carried out in Iceland and so further studies on this species and their ecological interactions should be done for future conservation and managing purposes.
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