Fjord & Bælt, Kerteminde, Denmark

Over 100 interested guests visited the Fjord & Baelt Centre in order to learn more about the Baltic harbour porpoise. The entrance fee for children was reduced by 50 per cent. Visitors enjoyed seal and porpoise demonstrations and talks about harbour porpoise biology and distribution, the threats in terms of pollution, fisheries and underwater noise, and how the Centre works on these issues both in the field and with the trained animals. In his presentation, scientist Magnus Wahlberg introduced whales and their senses, focusing on the harbour porpoise and its use of sound. The presentation included videos on how the Centre undertakes research on harbour porpoise sound perception and echo-location, discussing some of the results from these investigations and how they may relate to the problem of keeping harbour porpoises away from gillnets. A special emphasis was placed on the SAMBAH project (Static Acoustic Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Harbour Porpoise) and the results that may come out of that project. Through the exhibition visitors could read and learn more about the project, which will help to contribute to more effective conservation measures and population estimates for Baltic harbour porpoises. The Centre also ran a quiz, where the visitors could win nice porpoise-inspired prizes. The visitors enjoyed being served with porpoise-shaped biscuits baked by a local bakery.