Toxic chemicals in UK whales and dolphins are exceeding safe limits. The compounds, once used in pesticides, flame retardants and coolants, are having significant impacts on the health and reproduction of the animals. Despite many being banned almost 20 years ago, levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) remain high in the oceans. In fact, these […]
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee has published the UK Government’s response to its report, Protecting Marine Mammals in the UK and Abroad. The report, published in June, recommended stronger measures to tackle the problem of bycatch by introducing mandatory bycatch monitoring and called on DEFRA to publish an action plan to achieve […]
A whale found stranded on a Welsh beach more than a decade ago has been identified as the first of its kind ever found in British waters. Short-finned pilot whales are usually found in tropical to warm temperate seas and not in northern Europe. The whale stranded at Hazelbeach near Neyland, Pembrokeshire, on 1 March, […]
Marine scientists are delving into the secret world of an elusive species of dolphin by examining their unique sounds for the first time. Unlike the better-known common and bottlenose dolphins, the Atlantic white sided dolphin prefers the deep ocean to coastal waters and is rarely seen by humans. The species is so poorly understood in […]
Peter Evans in The Conversation ‘Our oceans are under pressure like never before, with over 60% struggling from the increasing impact of fishing, coastal activities and climate change. The harsh truth is that as we move towards 2022 only 3% of oceans are totally free from the pressure of human activity. The greatest impact appears to be […]
Action urged to prevent fishing gear deaths of porpoises, dolphins and whales ITV ‘More than a thousand porpoises, dolphins and whales die in fishing gear in UK waters each year, conservationists warned, as they called for action to end the “largely unseen suffering”. Campaigners are calling for the UK and devolved governments to meet their […]
July 2020 Sarah Dolman, Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society – Wildlife & Countryside Link Blog The biggest killer of dolphins and porpoises in the seas of Europe is accidental entanglement in fishing nets. Known as bycatch, many thousands meet this unnecessary and frankly horrific death every year. So I was delighted when the European Commission announced action to […]
The Sea Watch Foundation’s 2019 National Whale and Dolphin Watch event (July 27th – August 4th) revealed striking biodiversity with an impressive thirteen species of cetaceans seen around the British Isles, a number which has only been recorded twice before in the history of the event. The total number of sightings (over 2,000) exceeded last […]