Dolphins
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and Greenpeace have released the results from the 2004-2005 winter surveys of cetaceans and
pelagic (mid-water) trawls in the western approaches of the English Channel.
These surveys were conducted on MV Esperanza using standard scientific techniques to establish how many cetaceans use the survey area during
the January to March months when strandings of dead dolphins and porpoises peak on the Cornish coast. Many of these animals are clearly
the victims of bycatch in fishing nets, so the survey team also monitored interactions between cetaceans and fishing fleets in the area.
The surveys recorded a high number of common dolphins, reaffirming the importance of the western Channel as a winter habitat for this species.
The results also highlight the threat to these animals from the high levels of bycatch recorded in the bass pelagic trawl fishery and additionally
from gillnet and tanglenet fisheries in the area.
