Teens discover dead harbour porpoise near Shediac
A dead harbour porpoise was discovered by a group of teenagers in the Boudreau-Ouest harbour area late Monday evening.
"We noticed there was this small lump that was just lying and bopping there in the water," said Jeremy Touchburn.
The Marine Animal Response Society (Mars) is looking to study the porpoise for clues on what's happening to all the dead species washing up on shore.
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The animal was the first of its kind to be found dead in the Shediac area this year, said Steve Hachey, a spokesperson for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
He said the department picked it up on Tuesday morning, and is holding it frozen at the Gulf Fisheries Centre in Moncton until the society can pick it up later in the week.
Tonya Wimmer, director of The Marine Animal Response Society, said it's not uncommon for dead harbour porpoises to show up on New Brunswick's shore.
"We do try to keep an eye on and look at any marine species because any one of them can help us get the information on what might be happening in the greater ecosystem," she said.
The group's veterinary team is now aiming to conduct a full necropsy of the dead porpoise.
Wimmer said she isn't sure when that necropsy will take place.
She also said that harbour porpoises are common and not an endangered species.
The porpoise was found washed up on a bay between The Bluff and Boudreau-Ouest communities, not far from Parlee Beach Provincial Park.
Touchburn said he initially thought the lump was a pile of sand, which would have dissolved in the rising tide.
"As I got even closer, I realized that it looked like a blow-hole," he said.
Touchburn added that he first thought the "giant shape under the water" was a dolphin.
His sister, Hayley Touchburn, said it was the first time any of the teens saw a harbour porpoise .
"We were all just really sad and kind of in disbelief that we found it on our neighbourhood beach," she said.
The teens used a rope to pull the dead harbour porpoise onto a windsurf board and then carried it to shore.
Hayley Touchburn said it took about 10 people to lift the board.
Another teenager, Andy Delworth, said the harbour porpoise was kept in his family's shed overnight.
"We didn't want any animals to get to it," he said.
