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The Harbour Porpoise

In the 1980's there was approximately 2500 Harbour Porpoises being accidently caught as bycatch from gillnets in The Bay of Fundy frin Gill nets each year. This skeleton (above) hanging in our Museum is one of those unfortunate Harbour Porpoises. A study was conducted to reduce this mortality. A device nick named "a pinger" (see below) was used on the gill nets. It emitted a low frequency sound that the Harbour Porpoise could hear but didn't repel fish. These pingers were deployed and the mortality went to below 100 lives each year. A triumph for science and a win/win for the Harbour Porpoises and the gill net fisheries.

References
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Stephenson, R.L., Power, M.J., Sochasky, J.B., Buerkle, U., Fife, F.J.,

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