Porpoises wash ashore in Saugus, Revere; one lives

REVERE – Another dead harbor porpoise was found along the Massachusetts coast Saturday morning, this time washing up on Revere Beach. Six of the seven porpoises found over the past week have been dead, while the lone live one, which was stranded in a salt marsh in Saugus on March 19, is recovering in Maine.A walker made the early morning discovery in Revere of the 4-foot long, dark gray porpoise which Tony LaCasse, media relations director for the New England Aquarium, said washed up with the overnight high tide.?It?s not unusual for this to happen this time of year, because there are a lot of harbor porpoises in the area,” he said. “However, all of the dead porpoises have been juveniles who were born last spring and nurtured by their mothers until they were weened off in early winter.”LaCasse said those porpoises were then forced to rely on their own hunting skills to survive, compounded by the difficult winter months. All of the porpoises that washed up had been underweight with a weakened immune system.?It?s basically the equivalent of kids graduating high school and then being able to completely support themselves on their own,” he said.Despite the high number of dead porpoises found, LaCasse said it appears to be a seasonal event. Harbor porpoises tend to frequent the Massachusetts coast most often in the late winter and spring months and are found in the marshes and harbors, including Boston Harbor, Chelsea Creek and the South Boston Seaport area.The porpoise that survived its ordeal earlier this month is currently recuperating at the University of New England?s Marine Animal Rescue Center in Biddeford, Maine. LaCasse said the 4-foot-long, 68-pound porpoise had to go to Maine because the Boston center was filled to capacity with 40 endangered turtles that have been recovering since last year.?We are thrilled with her recovery,” he said. “She was a little underweight and dehydrated, but we expect her to be released pretty soon.”LaCasse said harbor porpoises are the smallest member of the dolphin family in the Atlantic, with adults ranging in size from 4? feet to 6 feet long, weighing 120 to 200 pounds. They have a typical life span of 10-12 years, while other dolphin species live into their 30s.