Rare sighting of harbor porpoise recorded in Napa River, experts urge distance

Napans strolling along the river Sunday may have caught a rare sight — a harbor porpoise surfacing in the Oxbow. By Monday, the animal was still cruising the same stretch of water.[

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Local resident Casey Mac filmed the porpoise around 8 p.m. Sunday and said he returned to the riverfront the next morning, where he saw two porpoises circling in the same spot.

“Been 10 years since there was a sighting in the Napa River,” he told The Press Democrat.

Historical records show a harbor porpoise swam several miles up the Napa River in 2007 — one of the first sightings in decades. Another was filmed in 2015, underscoring how rare it is to see the animals this far inland.

Giancarlo Rulli, spokesperson