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Our Achievements so Far
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- Winner of the third "ASCOBANS Outreach and Education Award", June 2009. Click here for further details of the award
- Voted best UK animal adoption scheme by BBC Wildlife, Dec. 2008.
- A Status Review, commissioned by the UK Nature Conservancy in 1986 provided the harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphin with special status under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
- Submissions by Sea Watch to the North Sea Conference and UK North Sea Forum contributed directly to a new international Agreement for the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS). Download Power Point Presentation
A collaborative effort between the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Sea Mammal Research Unit and Sea Watch, led to the production of the only existing Distribution Atlas for cetaceans in NW Europe, and serves as the major reference for environmental impact assessments of human activities throughout the region.- Sea Watch research studies of bottlenose dolphins helped lead to two areas in Cardigan Bay being recommended as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) for the species.
- Sea Watch has produced reports for the European Commission, European Cetacean Society, UK Department of the Environment, UK Offshore Operators Association and ASCOBANS assessing the threat to cetaceans of particular human activities and the role that protected areas can play in conservation.
The conservation of any wild animal or plant is largely dependent upon continuous monitoring. Without such data it is impossible to assess and amend status on a regular basis. Monitoring populations also enables the identification of general distribution patterns, important areas for different species, behavioural responses to human activities and effects on reproduction. Without the monitoring and survey work undertaken by Sea Watch, this information would not be available. A comprehensive system of survey and monitoring is crucial for the survival of marine mammals.
