Studying Canada’s smallest whales Harbour porpoises (Phocoena
phocoena) are among the smallest of the toothed whales, weighing
50-70 kg as adults. This species is distributed in the temperate
waters of the northern hemisphere, and can be found off of
Japan, Alaska, British Columbia, and Europe in addition to the
Canadian Maritimes and New England waters. Harbour porpoises are
able to stay warm in the Bay of Fundy because of their thick
blubber layers, which are maintained by feeding on energy-dense
prey such as herring and mackerel. Porpoises are common members
of the Fundy community, particularly in the summer months into
the early fall. The GMWSRS has been studying porpoises since the
station has been in existence. We have investigated what they
eat, their reproductive strategies, health, blubber
characteristics, contaminant burdens, echolocation, and movement
patterns using a variety of tracking technologies. Because
porpoises follow schools of herring along the shore at night,
they often become trapped in