South-west Bottlenose Dolphin Population

Collating existing evidence and co-ordinate bottlenose dolphin research in Cornwall and Southwest England

Rebecca Dudley – ‘We are incredibly lucky here in the Southwest of England to have bottlenose dolphins in our waters and to regularly see them from land and boat. Sadly however, there is currently no specific protection offered to this resident population and the establishment of protection measures will only be supported if robust evidence can be provided.

Work conducted over recent years by Marinelife, together with boat operators Marine Discovery and AK Wildlife Cruises highlighted the importance of the southern coastal waters between Dorset and Land’s End for bottlenose dolphins. Sue Sayer of Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust also conducted photo identification of bottlenose dolphins across the region between 2011 and 2016. However, this is only part of the picture and Cornwall Wildlife Trust and partners including scientists, research groups and eco-tourism operators aim to build on this work with more wide-ranging efforts to collate all sightings and photographic data from the whole of the South West, including Devon and North Cornwall.

As such, a collaborative partnership has been established within the region called the SW Bottlenose Dolphin Consortium. This partnership is co-ordinated by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and includes a wide range of groups, organisations, businesses and individuals who have all signed up to contribute their data to better understand our bottlenose dolphins. The Consortium also has a Steering Group which includes The Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (ERCCIS), Marinelife, Exeter University, Plymouth University, Chelonia Ltd and Marine Discovery.

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