Fingers crossed for November 15 ! Two films made thanks to Sea Watch Young Persons Environmental Film Workshops have been shortlisted for the media4schools awards which are being presented in Cardiff that day. The Environmental Film Workshops were run by Kirsten Hintner who linked up with pupils from Greenhill, Fenton, Broad Haven and St Mark’s schools, who took on Pembrokeshire County Council’s Buzz Challenge to create two striking films with a strong environmental message.

Pupils at GreenHill School’s Buzz Club worked on one film, ‘Plastics and Pollution’ ,while pupils in Buzz Clubs at the three primary schools wrote and produced ‘Listen to our Cautious Tales’.

In light of recent reports of a lone dolphin in South Devon and some very close encounters with this animal, it is important to draw attention to the marine code of conduct. While it is fantastic to have the opportunity to observe a dolphin at close quarters, please remember that dolphins are very large, potentially dangerous, wild animals and that there have been incidents in the past of dolphins seriously injuring swimmers. Please note, also, that under UK law it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly interfere with dolphins and this may result in a sentence.

Having said that, there is no reason why boats and dolphins should not be able to co-exist safely if care is taken to observe the following rules:

Do not swim with, touch or feed dolphins, for your safety and theirs. Besides the stress you can cause them, remember that, just as in humans, diseases can be spread by close contact, and dolphins are larger than humans and can cause unwitting injury.
Ensure that no more than two vessels are within a kilometre of dolphins at any one time and no more than one boat within close proximity. Refrain from calling other vessels to join you.
Always allow dolphins an escape route. Avoid boxing them in between vessels.
Do not respond to them by changing course or speed in a sudden or erratic manner; slowing down or stopping suddenly can confuse and alarm dolphins as much as sudden acceleration.
If you sight dolphins at a distance, make forward progress maintaining a steady speed, slowing down to six knots or less when you are within a kilometre of them.
Do not chase dolphins, drive a boat directly towards them or encircle them; wherever possible, let them approach you. If they choose to bow-ride, maintain a steady speed and course.
Move away slowly if you notice signs of disturbance, such as repeated avoidance behaviour, erratic changes in speed and direction, or lengthy periods underwater.
Allow groups of dolphins to remain together. Avoid deliberately driving through, or between, groups of cetaceans.
Avoid close approach to dolphins with young. You risk disrupting mother-calf bonds and expose inexperienced young to stress and possible boat strikes
Possible sources of noise disturbance can be avoided by ensuring speeds are never greater than ten knots, and by keeping the engine and propeller well maintained.
On the other hand, care should be taken to avoid collision with dolphins when using sailing boats or boats with a low engine noise, as the animals are less likely to hear the vessel until it is close.
People regularly using vessels in areas where dolphins are known to occur should consider fitting propeller guards to minimise the risk of injury to dolphins.

If you have any questions on the marine code of conduct or would like to report a sighting of this animal please email our Sightings Officer Danielle or phone her on 01545 561227

A sperm whale estimated to be 40 feet long was seen off Kirkwall Harbour in Orkney this morning. The animal was first reported at 8 AM in the shallows and has remained in the area all morning until 1PM when it was seen heading out to open water. It wasn't very active throughout the morning but seemed to be reacting to passing boats. Members of the RSPCA are on standby in case the animal strands.

Sperm whales are deep water species typically diving between 400 and 600 meters to feed. In northern Britain, the number of sperm whales on the continental shelf tends to peak in the winter months from December to February. For more information on sperm whales click here.

Dr Peter Evans, Director of the marine research charity Sea Watch, confirmed yesterday that a small whale spotted in Mounts Bay next to the Cornish town of Penzance was a dwarf sperm whale – a tropical/subtropical species that has never before been recorded off the UK coast The animal, little more than the size of a porpoise, swam into Mounts Bay on Sunday October 9. As it came close to shore, a local person spotting it on the beach first reported it to the local coastguard, and to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust strandings officer, Jan Loveridge. A member of the public then managed to re-float the animal which subsequently swam away.

Local members of British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and a local tourist boat operator, Marine Discovery, then observed the whale for some time before it disappeared from view. Initially they thought from its size that it was a harbour porpoise.

On Tuesday October 11, Dr Peter Evans received a phone call from manager of Shetland Wildlife, Hugh Harrop having just received photos from a friend, Glenn Overington, who on his return from a birding holiday in Cornwall had stated that he had seen what he believed to be a Dwarf Sperm Whale in Mounts Bay. Additional pictures by Hannah Jones (and video by Kimara McCrindle) of Marine Discovery, a Sea Watch recommended tourist boat operator from Penzance, were also passed to Dr Evans for analysis. Their pictures revealed the distinctive body and head shape of a Kogia whale There are two members of this family: one is the pygmy sperm whale and the other is the dwarf sperm whale.

Dr Evans said :

“Analysis of the images as well as photos and video were sufficient to confirm species identity – dwarf sperm whale, a first for Britain. It is one of the increasing number of records of warm water species to be turning up around the British Isles in recent years.”

The confirmation means that 29 species of cetaceans have now been recorded in UK and Irish waters.

So little is known about the dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima, that it is listed as ‘data deficient’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , however, some scientists suggest their scarcity may have been due to extensive hunting in the past.

Dr Evans explains:

“Pygmy and dwarf sperm whales are very difficult to tell apart, but the dwarf sperm whale has a much larger dorsal fin, which can be very variable in shape whereas the pygmy sperm whale always has a small falcate fin. “ The pygmy sperm whale tends to wander further north and has been recorded several times in British waters. One, thought to be a sub-adult pygmy sperm whale, was found stranded in Scotland at Easdale, Seil, on 6 October and the Scottish Agricultural College in Inverness has collected samples for DNA analysis. “Pictures of the Penzance whale show it to be dwarf sperm whale, its fin being large and almost triangular. This species has been recorded on only a handful of occasions in Europe (including Spain and France), and never in Britain or Ireland. It is just one of the increasing number of records of warm water species to be turning up around the British Isles in recent years. “ Unfortunately those who saw it said it was bleeding and it may have been injured, possibly on rocks, and I am not hopeful for its long term survival.”

Anyone who sees the animal swimming should contact Dr Evans on peter.evans@seawatchfoundation.org.uk or call 01407 832892 (mobile 0776 556 6102). If they spot it stranding, contact the Cornwall Wildlife Trust stranding hotline on 0845 201 2626 .

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