31 species of whale, dolphin and porpoise have been recorded in British and Irish waters.
Summaries of the status of each species in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can be found below.
More information on individual species can be found in the Species Fact Sheets below:
FACT SHEETS
UK cetaceans
These regional information sheets give local species information and identify good whale and dolphin watching locations around the UK. Click on each region to find out more:
STATUS CATEGORIES: Common; Regular; Rare; Vagrant (i.e. out of normal range)
Status categories are as used in Waring, G.T., Palka, D.B., and Evans, P.G.H. (2009) North Atlantic Marine Mammals. Pp. 763-771. In: Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (Editors W.F. Perrin, B. Würsig and J.G.M. Thewissen). 2nd edition. Academic Press, San Diego. 1,450pp.
Photo-ID Guidelines
For a number of species of whale and dolphin, it is possible to recognise individuals by the unique markings that some of them bear. These may take the form of a particular pattern of nicks in the dorsal fin, or pigmentation patterns on the fin, head, flippers or flanks. Recording such information on photographs, particularly on a regular basis, allows one to learn a great deal about local populations of the species.
Threats to Cetaceans
Cetaceans face very many threats, but the major ones can be grouped into the following categories: Incidental Catches, Over fishing, Pollution, Underwater Noise, Disturbance. Climate Change, and Hunting.