Old dolphin friends return to Cardigan Bay

Fin watch project helps conservationists keep track of dolphins

July 2010: Dolphin watchers at the marine research charity Sea Watch were delighted when they spotted two familiar "friends" when out on sighting trips off the coast of Wales.

FIN FRIENDS: Colin, front, is caught on camera with another dolphin in Cardigan Bay. The markings on his fin makes him easily identifiable

They were able to identify Colin, a dolphin first spotted in 2001 and then seen every year since, except 2002, and also Jordan, who again was first identified in 2001 and has been seen almost every year thereafter.

Both dolphins have been seen regularly in Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation. Since 2007, the Sea Watch Foundation has expanded its research to the Anglesey region and both dolphins were sighted there as well.

‘We can't estimate the ages of these two dolphins and we are not sure of their sexes but the nicks and notches on their fins change from each individual. Each dolphin will have their own markings enabling us to check them against our photo identification catalogue and track their movements and behaviours,' explains Daphna Feingold, Sea Watch's Cardigan Bay monitoring officer.

'As for how they acquire these markings, we can only assume they are from social interactions with other dolphins, perhaps rubbing on objects on the sea or from general injuries.'

Other known dolphins spotted during recent sightings trips have included known mother Alma, who has been seen since 2001, and Dominique, who was first seen as a juvenile. Now of breeding age, Dominique has been seen a total of seven times in 2008, 2009 and this year.

Sea Watch observers have also identified some previously unrecorded dolphins following these latest trips, such as Maya and Eli, and other newly identified ones, such as Indie and Riley, who were seen in Anglesey for the first time earlier this year.

Sea Watch is currently urging members of the public to help in its campaign to solve the mysteries of the UK's dolphin population by taking photos of the fins of any they spot. The charity wants people to send in any photos of dolphins and whales that show details of nicks and markings on fins to photo@seawatchfoundation.org.uk. The pictures can then be compared to others held on national ID databases at the charity's base in Wales, and with regional catalogues held by other organisations. Sea Watch will need to know where and when they were taken.

‘This is a very exciting project for us and we want to encourage as many people as possible to send us their photos. The more we receive, the more we should be able to uncover about dolphin movement patterns, habits and behaviour,' explains Dr Peter Evans, Sea Watch research director.

‘We are already aware of some of the movements of certain groups. For example, known bottlenose dolphins on the west coast of Scotland have been spotted off the Irish and Cornish coasts. Scottish east coast bottlenose dolphins were photo-identified near Whitby last year, which is further south than has been recorded before.

‘However, we have no evidence yet that the Cardigan Bay bottlenose dolphins in Wales ever go to the Irish coast or out of the Irish Sea or whether the Irish dolphins ever leave their coastal waters to come to Wales. Photographing fins of other species will also help provide an insight into their movements. Individuals are recognised from nicks on their fin or unique markings on their back or flanks, as is the case for orca and minke whale, or particular patterns of markings on the underside of their tail flukes as in humpback whales.

‘By analysing movements more through this ID project, we can learn a lot from the dolphins, whales and porpoises around the UK - about the way they live, where they range to, and the challenges they are likely to face during their journeys.

‘We need to understand more about them to shape conservation policies and so enable them to thrive in UK waters.'