22.11.2009 dead harbour porpoise
On my walk along the road from Henningsvaer I found a dead harbour porpoise floating in the bay. His right temple of the head was smashed in and the lower jaw was half ripped off. He also had a long scar along his belly. Maybe he was caught in fishing gear and the fisherman killed him when he pulled him out of the net. We have 20-30 harbour porpoises that live around Henningsvaer - Skrova and the major problem for these animals is being caught in fishing gear. Worldwide over 300 000 marine mammals die yearly because they got entangled in fishing gear (WWF). 3 killer whales entangled themselves in fishing gear in the Vestfjord during the last 4 years, one could be freed, whereas the others may have died. Bascin sharks are regularly caught as bycatch in fishing gear in the Vestfjord. Entanglements seem to be a rather common problem in this area and the effects on the marine mammal populations should be studied as part of the mutli species management plan of Norway.