More porpoises beached in the Netherlands

This is a video about saving a beached harbour porpoise on Ameland island in the Netherlands.

Translated from Ecomare museum on Texel island in the Netherlands:

Record number of harbour porpoises stranded – 09/01/12

More than 800 stranded porpoises on the Dutch coast in 2011, which is twice as much as in previous years. When the number was between 350 and 550 per year. Most were already dead when they beached, but there were also some 20 still living. Also on Texel island more of these small toothed whales were found than ever before. There were a total of 88 reported to Ecomare, three of them living.

Poor food

Studies of Wageningen University and Utrecht University show that about one third of stranded porpoises were hungry. Researchers found in porpoise stomachs mostly gobies, but this small and lean fish does not have much nutritional value. When the porpoises grow up, they increasingly feed on whiting, also a lean fish providing little energy. The fish they catch especially in our coastal area are too small or too thin to provide enough food.

Rehabilation of beached porpoises: here.