Posts Tagged ‘MPAs’
WDC raises plight of New Zealand dolphin at scientific meeting
WDC has a small but hardworking team at the Biennial meeting of the Marine Mammal Society taking place this week at the University of Otago, in Dunedin, NZ. At the meeting are Erich Hoyt from the UK, Philippa Brakes from NZ and Mike Bossley based in Australia, all of whom have been involved in presenting…
Read MoreWDC survey finds New Zealanders are willing to pay to protect rare dolphins
An independent survey, commissioned by WDC, has revealed that 80% of New Zealanders not only want to see more protection measures for dolphins, they are also willing to help pay for them. Every year, between 110 and 150 New Zealand (Hector’s) dolphins die in fishing nets and, over past decades, the population has plunged from…
Read MoreHomes for whales and dolphins – WDC hands over public responses to Scottish government
The Scottish government’s request for the public’s views on a proposed network of marine protected areas (MPAs) closes today (November 13th) with over 10,000 people asking for more ambitious protection of sealife in Scotland. Over half of these public response came from WDC supporters alone! The Scottish government opened the public consultation asking people what…
Read MoreWDC supporters lead the charge for more whale and dolphin protection in Scotland
The Scottish government has opened a public consultation asking people what they think of its current plans to create protected areas in the seas around the Scottish coastline. Sadly these plans still do not guarantee any protection for whales and dolphins. So WDC has been urgently requesting that people tell the Scottish government what they…
Read MoreHebrides field season ends with common dolphin encounter
It’s been a great field season on the Isle of Lewis! We saw Risso’s dolphins (some individuals that we’d seen in previous years and some new dolphins), lots of harbour porpoise and more minke whales than we’ve seen before! And what better way to end a busy season than to encounter a leaping, whistling pod…
Read MoreRisso's dolphins caught on camera by WDC field team
WDC’s field team in the Outer Hebrides recently recorded this great video footage of Risso’s dolphins in the surrounding waters. Stomach contents from strandings data from a limited number of UK Risso’s dolphins shows that their primary prey is octopus. However, a recent report by scientists shows that the relationship between the observed distributions of Risso’s…
Read MoreSeaweed and friends make a welcome return to the Isle of Lewis
“I recognise that dolphin” … “And that one” … uttered by me but still sweet music to my ears. Its hugely exciting when we spot a pod of dolphins and even more satisfying when through the cameras lens I recognise an individual that we’ve seen several years before. Obviously I can only confirm the match…
Read MoreThird trip lucky on the Isle of Lewis!
We were feeling a little nervous as we made the decision to chance the weather and set out this morning. We had been out only twice in the couple of weeks since we arrived on the Isle of Lewis in Northwest Scotland to conduct our annual boat surveys (this is our 4th year). The weather,…
Read MorePlans for Welsh marine conservation zones scrapped
Mick Green, our WDC colleague based on the west coast of Wales, laments the failure of the Welsh Government to protect our marine wildlife: We’ve just learned that the Welsh government have reneged on their promise to designate a series of ‘Highly protected marine conservation zones’ around the Welsh Coast. While the proposed zones were…
Read MoreWhat future for Scotland’s whales and dolphins?
You can help the Scottish government decide what the future might look like! This summer the Scottish government are giving you the opportunity to tell them what you think about their proposed marine protected area (MPA) network. Whales and dolphins are STILL not included in the current MPAs – although they haven’t been ruled out…
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