A porpoise stuck in a fish weir in Lowell’s Cove, off Orr’s Island, on July 2. A father and daughter who were fishing in the area called the Harpswell harbor master, and eventually the owner of the weir cut the porpoise free. Courtesy of Edward Acworth

Two of Georgeann Acworth’s stuffed animals are a seal and dolphin, aptly named Sealy and Dolphy.

So, when the 7-year-old noticed a porpoise trapped in a net while fishing with her father, Edward Acworth, in Lowell’s Cove, she was understandably scared and upset.

The Acworths, summer residents of Orr’s Island, love to spend time on their boat. One beautiful afternoon, July 2, Edward took his daughter out on the waters where he has fished since he was 6 years old.

Georgeann Acworth enjoys a fishing trip off the shore of Harpswell. Georgeann and her father, Edward Acworth, were fishing in Lowell’s Cove on July 2 when they discovered a porpoise trapped in fishing gear. Courtesy of Edward Acworth

While trolling for mackerel, the father-daughter duo spotted the porpoise’s nose bobbing up and down in the water.

The “beautiful creature,” as Edward put it, was about 5-6 feet long. The pair first assumed it was feeding on fish, but moving toward the animal, Georgeann saw that it was trapped in a net.

“When we saw it was trapped, she was really, really scared and distressed,” Edward said. “She’s really the heroine of the story, because she’s the one who saw the net and that the porpoise was trapped.”

Edward made a call on his radio to Channel 16, the emergency channel, to request help.

Harpswell Harbor Master Paul Plummer, who was patrolling Quahog Bay at the time, responded and got in contact with Marine Mammals of Maine, which has a permit to assist stranded marine mammals.

That group contacted the Maine Marine Patrol, which was able to reach the fisherman who owns the fish weir, of which the net is a part. While fisherman Rob Bernat was making his way over, Edward said, the porpoise was slowing down and becoming fatigued.

“It’s working hard to push against the net, and how long will it be able to keep that up?” Edward said. “It would have been really sad to see that thing die right there.”

However, just 10 minutes passed before Bernat arrived in his skiff and cut the porpoise free. Attempts to reach Bernat for an interview were unsuccessful.

“He literally just sliced them (the nets) right open with no concern about his own gear,” Plummer said. “He just got right in there and ripped them open and got that porpoise free, which was really, really cool to see.”

Georgeann was elated.

Plummer said it was his first time hearing about an animal caught in the weir, a structure used to trap and harvest fish. The Acworths did everything perfectly, Plummer said.

The only similar incident Edward could remember was a whale swimming into Lowell’s Cove in 1990. Locals feared it was trapped before it was discovered to be freely feeding on the fish enclosed in the weir.

Edward described the rescue as a great moment of the community coming together to save the sea creature.

“It’s great to be a part of it, and Paul Plummer is awesome. He came to the rescue and the fisherman (did), too,” Edward said. “It was a happy ending to the story.”

Brendan Nordstrom is the Harpswell Anchor’s 2024 seasonal news intern. He is a rising senior at Boston University, where he is majoring in journalism.