Posts by Nicola Hodgins
We’re getting to know Risso’s dolphins in Scotland so we can protect them
Citizen scientists in Scotland are helping us better understand Risso’s dolphins by sending us their photographs. Risso’s dolphins are an amazing yet relatively little-known species. I’ve been lucky enough to spend time studying them off the west coast of Scotland over the last 13 years and I’ve come to recognise individuals and have enjoyed observing…
Read MoreWhy do whales and dolphins strand on beaches?
People often ask me ‘why’ whales and dolphins do one thing or another. I’m a whale and dolphin scientist and so it’s my job to know stuff like that. Over recent days, the world has watched the heart-breaking scenes on two remote New Zealand beaches as almost 500 pilot whales have died after becoming stranded.…
Read MoreHeartbreak and practical action – the horror of the Taiji dolphin hunts and one Japanese activist’s determination
Back in November, I shared my heartache at the drama unfolding in the waters off Taiji, Japan, where around 25 fishers were undertaking their annual slaughter and capture of small whales and dolphins. Thankfully, this hunt season has now ended but not without the loss of 687 souls – 547 destined for the dinner plate…
Read MoreTragic tale of the UK orcas facing extinction
If you watched David Attenborough’s Extinction: The Facts, you’ll have heard the tragic account of the group of orcas known as the West Coast Community. They face almost certain extinction because of human chemical pollution. These orcas spend their time between Scotland, Wales and Ireland and until 2016 it was believed that there were nine…
Read MoreSurely coronavirus teaches us we shouldn’t be eating whales or dolphins?
There is no denying that COVID-19 is on track to becoming the worst pandemic in modern history. However, it’s an uncomfortable truth that we are responsible for the situation we find ourselves in. Respect for animals and their habitats is integral to human health and welfare and were it not for our complete disregard for…
Read MoreHow we’re protecting whales and dolphins across borders
It’s all very well individual nations putting their own conservation plans into action, but what about species, like whales, dolphins and porpoises, that don’t just stay in one country – how do we protect them? Last week I told you that I was at a meeting of the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (or…
Read MoreConservation in action – working on an international stage to protect whales and dolphins
Unlike us humans, whales, dolphins and porpoises don’t entertain the concept of borders. For them it’s not the artificial construct of imaginary barriers that prevents them from living their life as they please, for them it’s all just one big connected ocean (or river). For those species that migrate, whether it’s a journey from one…
Read MoreNew report reveals 100,000 dolphins and small whales hunted every year
When you hear the words ‘dolphin hunts’ it’s likely that you think of Japan or the Faroe Islands. Although they are complicit in the deaths of many thousands of individuals, they are sadly and probably surprisingly, not the worst offenders. I knew that dolphins and small whales were being hunted in many countries all over…
Read MoreTaiji – another season of slaughter as marine park links grow stronger
Life as a small whale or dolphin can be precarious at the best of times, but off the coast of Japan they face a sinister threat – the fishermen of Taiji. If they’re caught up in the maelstrom of one of the infamous ‘drive hunts’ the outcome is unlikely to be a good one. They’ll…
Read MoreWhat prospects for whales, dolphins and porpoises in 2018?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s main authority on the conservation status of species. Its ‘Red List of Threatened Species’ – known as ‘The Red List’ – is the most comprehensive inventory we have of species at risk. The Red List divides these species into various classes from ‘Data Deficient’…
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