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Marine Life & Conservation

National Whale and Dolphin Watch 2018: the results are in!

Published

6 years ago

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2018 marked the 17th year of Sea Watch Foundation’s National Whale and Dolphin Watch event, a citizen science project which has gained tremendous popularity over the years.

Last year’s event, which took place 28th July – 5th August, revealed striking biodiversity with an impressive 13 species of cetaceans seen around the British Isles in just those few days, a number which was only been recorded once before. The total number of sightings collected was larger than last year, and the highest reported so far. The 2018 event totalled 1,328 hours of watches conducted, over 100 hours more than in 2016. Over 43% of the total amount of hours spent collecting effort-related data came from land-based locations.

Students from the University of Hull conducting a land watch from Filey Brigg. Photo credit: University of Hull

“I am very proud of what we achieved with the help of wildlife enthusiasts and conservation and recording organisations around the country, who have contributed data collected from boats (inshore and offshore) and from land stations in different parts of the UK”, says Dr Chiara Giulia Bertulli, organiser of this year’s national event for the UK national research charity, Sea Watch Foundation.

South Grampian, Outer Hebrides, South Devon, Northeast and Northwest Scotland as well as West Wales are at the top of the list with sighting rates far superior to “2” (indicating an average of two or more cetaceans seen per hour of watching). Based on this year’s results, the UK’s national average sightings rate has increased compared to last year with over one cetacean seen for each hour of watching.

“The most memorable sightings from this past year’s Watch week”, adds Chiara, “include humpback whales in Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire, striped dolphins live stranding in South Wales, Sowerby’s beaked whale in East Lothian, fin whales in Northeast Scotland and Outer Hebrides, and large pods of short-beaked common dolphins off Puffin Island and Menai Bridge in North Wales.”

Common minke whale photographed off Penzance, Cornwall, on August 3rd. Photo credit: Hannah Jones / Marine Discovery Penzance

During the 2018 NWDW event, species such as harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, and minke whale continued to have a widespread coastal distribution and, as the results show, most of their sightings were actually recorded in coastal waters from land. Short-beaked common dolphins, an ocean species known for their offshore distribution, were mainly sighted from motorised vessels. Striped dolphins, which were only recorded once were also sighted from a vessel. Atlantic white-sided dolphins were sighted six times, and, unusually, 83% of those times it was from land.

The ability to detect cetaceans and collect sightings information is strongly affected by several weather parameters such as sea state, glare, swell height and visibility. When the weather deteriorates due to strong winds and/or heavy rain, watches may even be cancelled altogether as conditions are no longer suitable to collect presence and absence data. Taking this into account, every year, NWDW is organized over a period of nine days to increase the chances of getting favourable weather conditions to conduct land and boat watches at different sites around the UK. Last year, weather was changeable, with temperatures generally well above average.

Bottlenose dolphins photographed off Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, on July 31st. Photo credit: Amber Thomas

Of the species recorded during the 2018 NWDW event, the harbour porpoise was the most commonly seen in most parts of the UK, followed by bottlenose dolphin, short-beaked common dolphin and common minke whale.

With regards to the distribution of cetacean sightings around the UK, Scotland recorded the highest number of sightings, with the most sightings coming from South-West Scotland and Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides and North-West Scotland. England was second with the neighbouring regions of Cornwall, South Devon providing the most sightings followed by Yorkshire. Wales placed third with West Wales collecting most of sightings. Around the Channel Islands, observers reported 26 sightings, and there were nine reports from around the Isle of Man. Six sightings were also recorded in Northern Ireland.

Sea Watch Foundation are seeking volunteers to come forward to take part in the National Whale and Dolphin Watch 2019 this summer, which takes place 27th July – 4th August. Surveys can take place from your favourite or closest bit of coastline and boat-users are urged to get in touch too. No experience is necessary as the team at Sea Watch will offer you training and advice on how to take part.

Download a copy of the full 2018 National Whale and Dolphin Watch report HERE. 

Find out more about the 2019 NWDW event HERE.

Anyone interested in spending more time looking for whales, dolphins and porpoises around the UK should visit the Sightings Network webpage at www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/regional-groups or submit their sightings online at www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/sightingsform.

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Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

Published

2 weeks ago

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November 1, 2024

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After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

 Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

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Marine Life & Conservation

Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw

Published

4 weeks ago

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October 21, 2024

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steve backshall

Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.

Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.

On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.

Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.

Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.

Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”

The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.

To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.

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