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Rescuers Try to Lure Stranded Humpback Whale Through Dam

Posted on: Tuesday, 31 August 2004, 06:00 CDT

ANNAPOLIS ROYAL, Nova Scotia (AP) -- A humpback whale trapped for more than a week behind a hydroelectric dam refused the latest attempt Monday to lure him back to the ocean.

Whale rescuers used the recorded sounds of feeding humpbacks to try to coax the 16 1/2 ton animal through the sluice gates that separate the Annapolis River from the Atlantic Ocean.

After following the sound for about 2.5 miles, the animal swam to within 115 feet of the Annapolis Royal Tidal Generating Station before halting Monday afternoon.

"I guess somebody forgot to tell the whale that it was supposed to hang around and actually go through the sluice gates," said Jerry Conway, marine mammal coordinator with Canada's Fisheries Department.

The rescuers used a small patrol boat equipped with a waterproof speaker to send the sounds into the water.

Canadian fisheries officers say the ample supply of fish in the Annapolis River is probably keeping the 20-foot-long whale from heading for open water.

The power plant, which uses the Bay of Fundy's record-high tides to generate electricity, has been shut down since the whale arrived. Officials were concerned the noise from the plant's turbine could frighten the animal.

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