Ferry company enlisted to help monitor whales and dolphins
It can be difficult to monitor wildlife without causing further damage to their environment, but a UK organization has found a way to leverage existing “irritants” to gather scientific data on the whale and dolphin populations in the English Channel.
By partnering with Brittany Ferries on their Plymouth to Roscoff route, Marinelife will be better able to monitor activity in an area that’s already quite busy with shipping and fishing boats. Minke Whales, harbour porpoises and bottlenose dolphins have all returned to the waters in recent years, but until now it hasn’t been known if these sightings were anomalies or part of the natural movements of marine life.
The data will help to identify whale and dolphin hotspots, seasonal and annual movements and threats such as marine by-catch.
