Porpoises spotted on Somerset river

Most of us would probably give our right arm for just a glimpse of a fish right now, but Taunton AA match secretary Dan Baldwin got much more than that when he witnessed a pair of inquisitive porpoises swimming along the River Tone in Somerset, right by his back garden.

Porpoises are closely related to oceanic dolphins, but they have shorter beaks and grow to only a few metres in length.

“I’ve never seen them before,” Dan tells us,

“but I’d heard that 30 years ago they used to be a regular thing at this time of year. I’m not sure why they’ve swum upriver, but this spring we’ve had one of the best runs of elvers in years, so maybe that’s why they’ve come so far inland.”

The porpoises won’t be able to travel any farther upstream than Newbridge on the Tone, roughly 15 miles from the sea where a sluice marks the end of the river’s tidal length.

At the time of writing, Dan wasn’t sure if they were still in the river – but he’s contacted the British Divers Marine Life Rescue team to tell them of their location.