After nearly disappearing from local waters for decades, harbor porpoises are once again a common sight in Puget Sound.
Harbor porpoises have been detected as deep as 770 feet in the waters of the San Juan Islands. But they usually stay near the surface, coming up regularly to breathe. Some say their puffing sounds like a sneeze.
Common in our inland waters through the 1940s and ’50s, harbor porpoises virtually disappeared in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet and Hood Canal by the early 1970s.
Entanglement in gill nets, which drowns the air-breathing mammals, vessel noise, and contamination from industrial pollution are all possible culprits, pushing the animals farther north in their range.
But beginning in about 2007, the sight of the quick slipslide of porpoises through the waters of Puget Sound has become common once again. In calm conditions, the animals can be seen everywhere from the Mukilteo ferry dock, to Burrows Pass near Anacortes, to the waters of West Seattle.
More info:
- Cascadia Research - Puget Sound Dolphins and Porpoises
- NOAA - Dall's Porpoises
- Wikipedia - Dall's Porpoises
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