The Sea Watch Foundation is reaching out to ask for assistance to help conserve Britain’s dolphins!
Whether you are a local or a visitor to the Ceredigion coast, chances are you have been delighted by the bottlenose dolphins that call Cardigan Bay home. Hosting one of only two semi-resident bottlenose dolphin populations around the UK, Cardigan Bay is a unique and wonderful place to enjoy these amazing creatures in their natural habitat.
The Sea Watch Foundation has been monitoring this population for over 20 years and was instrumental in the designation of the New Quay Special Area of Conservation that protects these charismatic animals. We know these dolphins intimately and have seen some of them mature from tiny newborn calves to confident adults.
In addition to their intrinsic value, the Cardigan Bay dolphins are also the backbone of the coastal tourism, supporting an extensive eco-tourism industry generating £4.9 million worth of income annually, making it doubly important to preserve this population for future generations. Sea Watch Recommended Boat Operators such as Dolphin Spotting Boat Trips and Bay to Remember have been taking out visitors to see the dolphins for years and have been invaluable in furthering our understanding of bottlenose dolphins by providing data and assistance in our studies, but their livelihoods also depend on the dolphins continuing to call Cardigan Bay home.
Government agencies and NGOs regularly rely on assistance from the Sea Watch Foundation to provide them with data to accurately assess conservation challenges to cetaceans, not only in Wales but beyond.
Every year we are joined by many voluntary observers and interns that come to Sea Watch headquarters in New Quay, ranging from wildlife enthusiasts to students conducting their theses research with us. We provide training opportunities and the chance to develop invaluable skills while working with a unique population of bottlenose dolphins in a picturesque village in West Wales.
Unfortunately, as many charities, Sea Watch has been heavily impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic; outreach and research activities have been disrupted and many grants suspected. We have been looking after our local dolphins for over 20 years but we now need a bit of help to be able to continue this important work!
The Big Give has pledged to match any donations up to £2,500 made via the Big Give website between the 22nd and 29th April 2021. No donation is too small, every little helps- and remember, anything you give, the Big Give will match! Please help us keep Cardigan Bay’s dolphins safe and sound!
Donations will support ongoing boat- and land-based surveys from New Quay as well as the production of educational materials and online resources that can be utilised by anyone, whether you are just interested in learning more about dolphins or are a home schooling parent or teacher who is looking for new material to include in their syllabi.
Visit the Big Give website between the 22nd and 29th April 2021 to donate and become a champion for our dolphins!
