Dorset sea-goers asked to help track dolphin pod's movements
A study's looking into the UK's smallest population of the mammals
Researchers are calling for sailors, nature watchers, fishers and other boat operators in Dorset to help them monitor the UK’s smallest population of coastal bottlenose dolphins.
The 40 strong pod is known to range along the South Coast, including off Dorset.
The length of their coastal range and the small size of the pod makes it incredibly difficult for marine conservation experts to track them in detail.
As a result of their uniqueness and rarity, the South Coast Bottlenose Consortium was formed in 2022, a collaborative partnership which includes a range of conservation groups, universities, governing bodies, and businesses to work together to gather information on the bottlenose dolphins in the region.
They are calling for the public’s help to try and build a comprehensive pattern of where they travel at different times of the year and whether there are particular factors – include human activities or environmental conditions – that influence their movements.
They are especially keen to try and establish if the dolphins have preferred breeding grounds, or any other reproductive patterns, given the pod hasn’t significantly grown in size since it was first identified in back in the 1990s.
As such, any sightings gathered during the summer of 2023 will help to establish if calf production is taking place at a sustainable rate for the population to survive.
Freya Diamond, an MSc Marine Conservation student at the University of Plymouth, will be analysing the sightings that comes in from the public:
“Despite them having been identified a number of years ago, we still know very little about this population. That means we are not in the best position to fully understand the challenges they are facing and how we can support these dolphins in the future. This project will hopefully provide us with the critical information we need to plug some of those knowledge gaps.”
You can report sightings and details about their movements by emailing SCbottlenosedolphins@outlook.com
Dr Simon Ingram, Associate Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Plymouth, has spent many years studying dolphin populations around the UK coastline:
“The small size of this group of dolphins is very concerning in terms of their conservation status and long term survival. Coastal pods in neighbouring countries such as Ireland, Scotland and France have larger populations with hundreds of animals.
"When you add in the fact that the South Coast pod is inhabiting one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, and also an area prone to marine pollution and intense fishing, there is no question they are extremely vulnerable. If we are to adequately protect them, we need to know more about their behaviour and with such a large area to cover citizen science is a great way to achieve that.”