Crawsnest (Tay Dolphins)

Hi everyone.. First off I’d like to apologise for the lack of postings at the blog in recent times… This has been due to some personal circumstances that resulted in an inability to access the internet…

 However, the monitoring program has continued and I’m glad to say over the past few weeks we have seen a steady increase in the number of dolphins in the Tay.  Indeed, last weekend there was around 20 dolphins present at high tide…  They were split into 4/5 groups and were spread around the river.

Thanks to all of you who have reported your sightings.  They have all been recorded and add to our understanding of the dolphins movements around the Tay estuary.

Keep watching…  Crawsnest Team..

Hi everyone….  We have received our first sightings reports of the year..  Thanks to Caroline for the first sighting of the year…  NOTE: 4th May 2008.  And also to Evelyn (just pipped at the post) for her sighting of 3 adult dolphins on the 6th May 2008.

It appears that the dolphins have returned a little earlier this year (first sighting last year was at the end of May).  As usual, we would ask you to send in any sightings you make via our sightings form…  Looking forward to a busy season…

Best wishes to all…. (Crawsnest team)

The Marine Connection launches a new report which examines the phenomenon of the solitary cetacean – the ‘Lone Rangers’ of the sea, in detail.

It examines some of the theories behind their existence, considers the process of habituation and the threats to both the cetacean and humans. By reviewing all known cases to date and the current protective legislation the report makes recommendations for their protection in both the short and long term.

Solitary cetaceans may be considered the lone rangers of the sea, apparently choosing a solitary existence they may roam from town to town, or conversely they may take up residence in one specific location.

We do not as yet fully understand their solitary lifestyle, whether it is by choice or through a variety of environmental or man-made pressures. Yet we do know that whether temporary or permanent there have been over 90 cases to date, worldwide.

Source:  Marine Connection

Download Lone Rangers report

Two men who swam in the sea with a dolphin after a night out have been found guilty of harassing the animal.

Michael Jukes, 27, and Daniel Buck, 26, were found guilty of intentionally or recklessly disturbing a wild animal at Sandgate, Kent in June last year.

Dover magistrates heard they had touched and stroked Dave the dolphin, which had become a tourist attraction spotted regularly near Folkestone.

They were each ordered to carry out 120 hours community service.

A lack of recent sightings has led to speculation that Dave, who was actually female, has now died.

The court heard that during the incident on 9 June a witness heard one of the men shout: “People pay hundreds of pounds to do this in Florida and I’m doing it in Folkestone.”

Full story:  BBC

New evidence has been compiled by marine scientists that prove the normally placid dolphin is capable of brutal attacks both on innocent fellow marine mammals and, more disturbingly, on its own kind.

Film taken of gangs of dolphins repeatedly ramming baby porpoises, tossing them in the air and pursuing them to the death has solved a long-term mystery of what causes the death of so many of these harmless mammals - but has left animal experts baffled as to the motive.

Another mystery is that the animal ‘murders’ have only been reported in two parts of the world - along Scotland’s East Coast and in America off the beaches of Virginia, where even more alarmingly, the victims were scores of the dolphins’ own young.

Full story:  Telegraph

Stronger legislation to protect “friendly” bottlenose dolphins from being “loved to death” is being urged by a leading conservation organisation.

The problem with existing measures aimed at preventing harm to or disturbance of these charismatic marine mammals is that they weren’t designed to deal with problems arising from exceptional individuals going out of their way to court human attention.
 
So the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is highlighting how such creatures invariably end up with fatal injuries as a first step in a campaign for a new law to discourage people from responding to their overtures.

Bottlenose dolphins, averaging around three metres long and weighing about 200kgs, have long been at the centre of myths about relations with humans. Blowing away such mystical nonsense is part of the WDCS effort to protect them from becoming victims of their popularity.

Solitary-sociable” is how WDCS labels those that, for no obvious reason, are not part of a dolphin group and hang around harbours, increasingly associating with boat users, divers and bathers.

Social misfit would also be an appropriate description for an animal apparently preferring the company of a different species. It is not trying to deliver a message to mankind, one of the wackier theories for such behaviour - but performing in what invariably becomes a tragedy.

“There is a definite need for existing legislation to be improved to protect solitary-sociable dolphins”, said Mark Simmonds, WDCS’s Director of Science. “Law to prevent harm and deliberate or reckless disturbance to dolphins doesn’t adequately cater for situations in which one chooses to interact with people.”

WDCS has already tried to tackle this by simply giving a “back off” message to the public.

Full story:  Telegraph.co.uk

A man convicted of recklessly harassing a school of dolphins while on a jet ski has been fined £500.
 
Nicol Wood, 22, had earlier gone on trial over an incident with a school of bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth.

However, he then offered a plea at Banff Sheriff Court and the allegation that he intentionally disturbed the dolphins was deleted.

Wood, from Banff, is believed to be the first person convicted in Scotland for such an offence.

The offence - under the amended Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - happened in coastal waters about half a mile offshore at Faw Bay, Macduff, in June last year.

Dave MacKinnon, a wildlife crime officer for Grampian Police who investigated the incident, said: “I believe this is the first time a successful conviction has been achieved under the amended legislation.

“The message that we want to get out is that this activity is an offence. These marine mammals are no different from other protected wildlife.

“In their marine environment they have to feed and look after their young.”

Mr MacKinnon said it was likely that they would have been disturbed in the incident and a key element of wildlife crime investigation was raising public awareness about animal welfare.

He said: “Hopefully the conclusion to this incident will send a strong message to people who use the marine environment for their work and leisure.

“What we ask is that people using such crafts do so in a responsible manner for their safety and that of others including protected wildlife.”

Source:  BBC

In the next few days the UK Government will make a crucial decision. They will decide whether to allow drilling for oil and gas in the sanctuary created for the bottlenose dolphins of the Moray Firth, Scotland. Please send an e-mail to the Minister of State for Energy, Malcolm Wicks, urging him to ensure protection for the Moray Firth.

To read the full story and send an email, go to the WDCS

As we approach the end of the ’season’, I’d again like to thank all those people who have regularly sent in their sightings reports…  your contribution added to our own data has given us a starting point from which to expand our knowledge of the dolphins that visit the area.  With your help, in the coming years, we hope to add to that knowledge.

This year’s project has already opened our eyes as to how many dolphins are visiting the area.  We have also collected a number of photographs of individual dolphins for identification and hope to find out ‘who’ is present.  By matching this data with other sightings outwith the area we hope to find which family groups (pods) are visiting us…

On a personal note…  I have been extremely encouraged by the response of local people towards the dolphins…  The vast majority have shown respect and a sense of care for these animals.  It is attitudes like this that will help to keep the dolphins safe over the coming years…

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Ps…  Thanks to Jim McQeen for sending in a short video clip of the dolphins in 2006….

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 Hi everyone…  We haven’t commented in a while.. Due mainly to our being on the west coast over the last month…

 However, we have still been getting sightings info from many members of the public, who have been kind enough to send in their reports…  A big THANKS to everyone…

First, let me thank Caroline for the picture of the seals at Tentsmuir.. and also for all her reports of dolphins in the area…  Thanks also go to Annie W, Moira D… and to Ron WH… for their detailed sightings reports….

It seems that we still have fairly large numbers of dolphins in the area.. Reports tell of around 30 dolphins being present in the estuary on the incoming tides…  We also have reports of around a dozen dolphins travelling between the Tay and the Lunan Bay area on a regular basis….

Please continue to send in your sightings… every sighting is important to our understanding of the movements of the dolphins in our area… Thanks!!!