Marine Environmental Monitoring

Yesterday (19th August) we got a call from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) who had received calls to two harbour porpoises that had got caught in gill netting and washed up on a beach in Old Colwyn. Unfortunately, members of public had removed the animals from the netting before we could get anyone there, which makes it more difficult to confirm if the animals had died in the netting or had died then washed into the netting.

The Welsh fishing fleets that operate around the Welsh coastline have done a lot of work and are very proactive in preventing by-catch of cetaceans and thankfully as a result it is very rare to get any reports of cetaceans that had been killed by netting unlike other areas of the UK. When we do get reports of dolphins in netting it normally is dolphins that have died then washed up with discarded netting from fishing fleets further afield. On this occasion these porpoises were in fishing netting that had been set up on the beach. This was not done by the Welsh fishing crews.

The two porpoises are one adult female (1.53m) and a juvenile male (93cm). Most likely mother and calf. Both hadn’t been dead long and was showing injuries caused by the netting. We will be carrying out a post-mortem examination in the coming days to confirm what was the cause of death.

We would like to thank Lizzi from the BDMLR for getting there so quickly to assess if there was anything that could be done to help the two porpoises. Charlie for his help in getting the two porpoises too us, and all the members of public that helped to remove the netting to make it safe.

If you do find any dead cetacean wrapped in netting, it is really important to not remove the netting and instead call the strandings line on 0800 652 0333 so that we can investigate it.

Thankyou to all that reported stranded cetaceans, seals, marine turtles and sharks on the 0800 652 0333 last year (2023).

Thanks to your reports it was one of our busiest years, with some great opportunity to learn some fantastic data about our marine wildlife.

Last year we had a nearly 100% increase in the number of short beaked common dolphin being reported, showing that we have had a population increase around the Welsh coast in the last few years. We also have seen an increase in the number of harbour porpoise that had been attacked and killed by bottlenose dolphins. The biggest event was the stranding of the s***m whale in North Wales. This was only the fourth s***m whale to turn up in the UK at the time, and only the second female (both in Wales).

We will always try and collect the animals that are suitable for post-mortems, so that we can learn more about the animal and the pressures they are facing. At times if the animal is too big, we will work with the local council to carryout the post-mortem in situ (which we did with the s***m whale). When we do this, we invite local groups along so that they can watch what we do and learn more about the marine life.

This year we already seeing the same trend with the increase of common dolphins, but our overall numbers are down. It is important for us that if you come across a stranded porpoise, dolphin, whale (collectively known as cetacean), seals, sharks and marine turtles you report it as soon as possible to the strandings line on 0800 652 0333.

One of the key species for the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme- UK strandings(CSIP) is the bottlenose dolphin. These animals are incredibly intelligent and tend to live in family units. They like to play and can live up to around 60 years. Unfortunately, due to their size and weight they normally sink when they die, so we don’t get to investigate them, with us normally only getting one or two reported along the Welsh coastline in a year.

Last Thursday (28th May) we got reports of a bottlenose dolphin washing up in the New Quay area. With the rarity of this happening, we will always try an attend straight away, which we did. The bottlenose turned out to be an old male that was well know in the area, and had last been seen swimming in the New Quay area around the 9th May. At 3.4m it is around the maximum size we find male bottlenose dolphins, and despite being dead was in good condition. He had signs indicative of his old age including worn down teeth and some missing. There were no external signs of injury or obvious signs of cause of death.

Normally due to the size of bottlenose dolphins we carry out a post-mortem (PM) in-situ. Unfortunately, due to it being half term and the beach being a very popular holiday location, we have decided to delay this process. We will be working with the council and other agencies so that we can get a full array of samples and data early next week and hopefully remove him at the same time.

We would like to thank Dr Perry from the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (CBMWC) for the details she provided on him and her ongoing help. We also like to thank Katrin from the Sea Watch Foundation who also was able to provide lots of information on this animal. You can find further information on there respective pages.

If you do ever come across a dead stranded dolphin, porpoise, whale, seal, shark or marine turtle please do call the national line on 0800 652 0333.

With all the bad weather and strong winds we have been having over the last week we have been receiving a number of reports of strandings around the coast. This has included a number of reports of juvenile loggerhead turtles along the South coast of England. We have had reports of three loggerhead turtles in the last 48 hours.

It is really important that if you come across a marine turtle you don't put it back into the sea as they aren't able to survive in our cold temperatures, and will need urgent specialist care.

With each turtle that gets reported we know that there is going to be a number that are stranded on our beaches but have been missed. Please keep an eye out for them and if you do see one either report them to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546 or call us on 0800 652 0333 and pick option 1

A great event for anyone interested in our seas and the work going on to protect it.

It's that time of year again! Time for NWSRO's annual North wales marine conservation conference in collaboration with Bangor University School of Ocean Sciences 🥳🎉

The conference was founded to bring together like minded people and organisations for networking, volunteering opportunities and collaboration. The event is designed to make marine science and local projects more accessible to the general public and early career marine scientists and conservationists. An opportunity to share the important work being undertaken and inspire our next generations.

This year we have an amazing line up of organisations for you all 😍 Talks and stalls will include research, rescue, and rehabilitation and we will be chatting all things seals, turtles, whales, dolphins, marine pollution and beyond! Interested in what's happening along our coast? Come along and join us! 🌊

💙 Saturday 6th April 💙
Book your free ticket now 👇

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/north-wales-marine-conservation-conference-tickets-865803259857?aff=oddtdtcreator

It is that time of year again when we have marine turtles wash up on our shoreline from warmer waters. We have had two in the last couple of days reported to us in Wales. It is really important to follow this advice that NWSRO - North Wales Seal Research Organisation are sharing, as they can still be alive even if they do look dead.

A few turtles have been arriving along the coast of Wales the past week after the recent storms. A reminder of how to call for help and some turtle saving advice...

British Divers Marine Life Rescue 01825 765 546

Marine Environmental Monitoring 0800 652 0333

BDMLR are the Uk's leading marine animal rescue organisation on call 24/7 365 days a year. All marine turtles, including deceased ones, must be reported to MEM who are the UK TURTLE database managers.

Please save these phone numbers in your phone and check out the appropriate websites so you are calling the correct people. Thank you.

Last week was a very busy week for reports of strandings. This was mostly due to storm Debi bringing animals ashore. By monitoring wind direction, we can roughly guess the likely locations we are going to get reports of strandings. This was the case with storm Debi as she had a very strong on shore wind all along the south coast of Wales. Some of the more unusual reports we got were of two common dolphins stranding together in Swansea Bay, and a Pigmy s***m whale near Cardiff.

We first got a report of a common dolphin near the Blackpill Lido Monday 13th during the evening. The next day we received a further 10 calls, all reporting one common dolphin in the area. It wasn’t until we examined the photos that we realised that there were two adult common dolphins within a couple of hundred meters of each other. We regularly get common dolphins strand around the Welsh coastline, but it is unusual to get two strand together. Thankfully we were able to collect both animals late Tuesday evening for the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme (CSIP). They both turned out to be adult females around 2m in length. A necropsy was carried out by Rob and Matt at with both dolphins having a very large parasitic burden in their stomachs.

Whilst in the process of collecting the two common dolphins we started to get reports of a small whale on Llantwit Major beach. Despite this animal being more decomposed it was determined that the whale was a pigmy s***m whale. This is only the third time a pigmy s***m whale has washed up in Wales as they are not native to our shores. Due to its rarity in our waters and the huge amount we could learn from it, Rob Deaville from ZSL attended the next day and carried out a necropsy. Sadly, it was found to be a pregnant female. On the positive side we will learn so much from all the samples we have been able to take from the animal.

With the ongoing work of the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme (CSIP) we can learn so much from animals like the ones that stranded last week, and the challenges they face. If you do come across any stranded cetacean, seal, shark or marine turtle please report to the strandings line on 0800 652 0333

A great report from the team down in Cornwall.

Marine Strandings Network | Cornwall Wildlife Trust The Marine Strandings Network is a flagship project of Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and has been recording and monitoring dead marine wildlife strandings in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for over 25 years. We work in partnership with the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Progamme (DEFRA Funded) and U...

Anyone that follows any of the various Facebook groups that cover the Welsh coastline will have seen post about the importance of not disturbing seals. We are currently in the grey seal pupping season, and the pups are very vulnerable especially during the first two weeks of their life where they rely solely on mum. Unfortunately, far too often people ignore these messages and decide it is their right to go on the beach or allow their dog off the lead when they know there is seal pups around.

In the last couple of weeks, we have collected several dead seal pups. On many occasions the cause of death is related to human disturbance. We collected one last week that had been attacked by a dog resulting in bite marks all over its body. The one in the picture was on a small beach which the beach owner had closed due to the pup being on it. Despite a fence being across the entrance to the beach and several signs saying why, people still decided that it was their right to go on the beach. This meant mum was unable to get back and feed the pup. As a result, it died in the heat of the day, dehydrated.

It is only two weeks you need to stay away from the area. There are many great beaches around our coastline you can go on instead, and a lot of the beaches are big enough that you can stay away from where the pups are. Seal pups face many challengers in the first year of their life. Humans should not be one of them.

If you come across a dead or in distress seal, please call our number 0800 652 0333. This number will take you through to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) if the animal is alive, or through to our system if dead.

Update

The phone line has now been fixed so you are able to report strandings in Wales on the 0800 652 0333. Unfortunately any reports over the last few days have been lost, so really sorry if we didn't get back to you.

Hi all

It seems their is currently an issue with our reporting line. We are not sure how long this has been the case as we have been able to make calls out, but it currently isn't allowing us to receive calls. We are working to fix this as quickly as possible but in the mean time please I've messages on FB or email [email protected] to report strandings.

Really sorry if you have been trying to report strandings to us and not been able to get through.

Last Monday 8th May we received a call from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR Wales) reporting a live stranding of a whale on a beach in North Wales. We initially thought that it was a Minke whale which we will get about one a year turn up dead on the coastline in Wales. Amazingly it turned out to be a s***m whale. This was only the second one we have had turn up in the last 100 years. Even more amazingly it turned out to be a female, only the 4th we have had in the UK over the last 100 years. Unfortunately, the whale quickly died in the surf on the beach.

S***m whales are the largest toothed whale and the third deepest diving whale. They normally feed on squid and will dive to around 800m to catch their food but can dive beyond 2km. We do not find s***m whales in the waters around Wales as they are unable to feed. S***m whales a thought to live for around 70 years, with the females growing to about 10.5m and 14 tonne.

Although this female was 10.8m she had a poor body condition with her being really underweight. We estimated that she was between 8 and 10 tonnes. She showed no obvious signs of injury other than what she sustained during the stranding process.

The rest of the team from the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme- UK strandings was able to join us on the beach on Wednesday 10th May to carry out the necropsy. During which we took a large number of samples and data which will hopefully help inform ongoing and future collaborations and shed further light on the lives of these amazing animals.

We have to say a big thankyou to Gwynedd council who had the unenvious task of disposing of the whale, but despite this fully supported us whilst we did our work. I would also like to thank the local coastguard team who carried out the initial scene assessment and made sure everyone was safe. Charlie and Holly from Natural Resources Wales. Last but not least thankyou to Gem and her team from the BDMLR.

On Saturday the 6th May we received a call to a live dolphin in the surf at Ynyslas. Unfortunately, despite the help of locals the dolphin died before we could get to it. The dolphin turned out to be a bottlenose dolphin that was well know in the New Quay area. Due to it's size, it was a difficult recovery taking nearly four hours to get it off the beach.

The rest of CSIP team was able to come across few days later to help carryout necropsy. Below is further details.

Thanks to all that helped with this, and if you come across a stranded marine animal please call the phone line on 0800 652 0333

This is a great opportunity for those in the Oxwich Bay and surrounding area to get involved with a great voluntary rescue group. The British Divers Marine Life Rescue carry out rescues of live stranded marine animals, and monitoring sick and injured ones. They also regularly help us out with recoveries.

Oxwich Bay, Wales MMM Course (Sunday 14th May 2023) - Wet Course (W) - British Divers Marine Life Rescue The lectures will be online and information regarding these will be sent to you roughly a week before the course date. The course date itself will be practical only covering whale, dolphin and seal rescue techniques.

Another loggerhead found on our cost. Please keep your eyes open whilst out around our coastline as we know there will be more out there.

We get to work with the team from NWSRO - North Wales Seal Research Organisation from time to time. They are brilliant and professional group of volunteers that spend all their free time trying to protect our coastline and the life around it.

Thankyou for all the hard work you doo.

Four dead common dolphins close together.

We have been busy this weekend with various reports of dead dolphins washing up around the Welsh cost. Four of them were all reasonably close together with one just outside Tywyn in Gwynedd. The other three around the coast near Aberystwyth.

Due to the proximity of the four, we have been out to them to get further details and investigate any possible link.

The first was in Tywyn, Gwynedd. This was the smallest of them and was a juvenile male common dolphin which when first reported to us had a wound on its back between the dorsal fin and tail fluke. Unfortunately, scavengers had attacked the same area by the time we found it making it impossible to ascertain a cause for the wound. The juvenile dolphin did show lots of signs that it had been attacked by another dolphin.

The next one was on the beach in Clarach bay, Ceredigion. This one was also a juvenile male common dolphin. Out of the ones we got to examine, this one had been dead the longest with it showing signs of decomposition as well as scavenger damage. Due to it’s condition it wasn’t possible to come to any conclusions.

The third was on Tan Y Bwlch in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. Again, another juvenile common dolphin, but most likely the oldest of the three going by its length. This one had also suffered some scavenger damage, but apart from that it had no obvious injuries. It did look to be of poor body condition (malnourished).

Unfortunately, the fourth which was also on Tan Y Bwlch had been washed away by the storm. By the photos provided by those that had reported it, this one looked to be an adult common dolphin, which had been dead for some time.

It isn’t unusual to get a lot of reports of cetaceans washing up when there is bad weather like the weather, we are having around Wales currently. We are also able to ruffly plot where we expect to get reports of strandings by working out where there will be a on shore wind. This is the case with these four. There doesn’t seem to be any link between the four with them all showing signs of dying at different times and with different possible causes.

Unfortunately we haven’t been able to get out to all the different reports we have had this weekend, but thankyou to everyone that has reported a stranding as each report gives us further data as to what is happening in our seas.

If you do spot a dead stranded cetacean, seal or large bodied shark anywhere around the UK coastline please call the strandings line on 0800 652 0333

We need your help by keeping a look out for sea turtles around our coastline as there is going to be ones that need our help.

With the new year comes new strandings and with the different winter storms we have been seeing around the world we are getting out of habitat marine turtles turn up on our shores. In the last few days, we have had a Kemp’s ridley turtle turn up on Marros sands, Carmarthenshire. Then yesterday we had a Loggerhead turtle found on Moel-Y-Don beach, Isle of Anglesey. Unfortunately, due to the cold temperature of our sea the Kemps ridley was dead.

The Kemp’s ridley is one of the smallest marine turtles and the loggerhead is one of the largest hard shell marine turtles. Both turtles are juveniles and nowhere near fully grown with the loggerhead currently being smaller than the Kemp’s ridley which was only 33cm long.

Both turtles would normally live in warmer waters but would have been blown of course by a storm. Once in colder waters they suffer from cold shock and their bodies shut down. They would have then been carried by the currents and winds until eventually washing ashore on the Welsh coastline. We normally find that we get a number of turtles turn up around the same time as they get blown off course together. Due to this we want people to keep an eye out for marine turtles as they walk our shoreline in the coming days and weeks as there will be more out there. It is also really important that you don't put them back into the water as they will not survive.

The loggerhead turtle, which has a great range of habitat is currently receiving specialist care, but it is hoped that it will make a full recovery and be able to be released back into warmer waters in the near future.

It is important that if you come across a marine turtle on a beach, you report it straight away, and do not put it back in the water. Due to the cold shock, they can appear dead but regularly are not and just need specialist care. If you do find one, please contact either us on 0800 6520333, or RSPCA or the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) on 01825 765546

At this time of year, we get a lot of calls to dead seal pups and their mothers. Most of the time we don’t know anything about their lives and where they have been. Very occasionally we will get one reported to us that has a tag on it. Tags on seals are used by the various rescue organisations around the UK and Ireland. They attach them to the seals that they have rescued and then re-released back into the wild after treatment.

On Sunday (9th September) we received calls to a seal that had a blue tag on its flipper. The seal was an adult female that had washed up on Porth Nobla beach in Anglesey. With the help of the RSPCA, we were able to confirm that the tag was one used by Seal Rescue Ireland (https://www.sealrescueireland.org/) https://www.facebook.com/sealrescueireland/

Melanie from Seal Rescue Ireland has confirmed that the seal was originally rescued as a pup in Bray Harbour, Wicklow weighing only 12.59kg. This was in November of 2016. They named her Alice after Alice in wonderland and began her rehabilitation programme. The volunteers at Seal Rescue Ireland spent the next 4 months caring for her and feeding her up to a health weight. She was finally strong enough to be released in March of 2017 in Courtown, County Wexford.

Although 5 years isn’t a long life for a seal, with them normally living up to 25 years. Alice was of a good weight when she died. She showed no external injuries or diseases. In her lifetime she would have had at least two pups if not more. If it wasn’t for the great work that Seal Rescue Ireland and other seal rescue charities do, seals like Alice would never get a chance at life.

Most seal rescue organisations rely on volunteer help and donations from the public to be able to do the great work they do. During this time of year with the grey seals pupping, all the rescue centres will be full of seals that without the time of the volunteers and donations from the public would not stand a chance of survival. If you can help these charities in any way, it will be greatly appreciated.

I would like to thank Monica for first reporting the seal to us and providing the pictures which enabled us to identify her. If you do come across a dead seal with a tag, please try to get a photo of the tag, if you can without needing to touch the animal. Then please report it to the stranding line on 0800 6520333 straight away. If you come across a sick or injured seal in the UK then please call the RSPCA or the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (Tel No 01825 765546).

We are already starting to get reports come here in Wales of seal pups. It is really important you give them space and leave them alone.

In the coming weeks you might hear us talking a lot about ‘whitecoats’- but what is a whitecoat?!🤔

When grey seals are born, they have a fluffy white coat called their ‘lanugo’. This helps to keep them warm while they are developing a thick layer of blubber by drinking their mothers incredibly rich, fatty milk.
Pups will then start to moult their whitecoat at different ages, with some fully moulted by around 2 weeks old and others still holding onto a few tufts of it at 4 weeks old! As their whitecoat moults it reveals their grey adult coat, and their unique individual coat pattern.
So when we see a seal pup with a whitecoat, we can get a good idea of its approximate age and whether it has been weaned from its mother yet or not (this happens at around 16-21 days old). This is really important information for our Medics to be aware of when attending call-outs, as it will impact how they conduct their assessment and decision making. 🧐📝

‼️If you spot a lone whitecoat (or any seal pup) and are concerned, remember to give them plenty of space and DO NOT touch them or try to return them to the water. Call the BDMLR Hotline on 01825 765546 as soon as possible for further advice.

Fun fact: common seal pups moult their whitecoat while still in their mother’s womb! 🤓

Photo: 'Cleopatra' showing off her whitecoat. She was rescued by BDMLR on the 2nd of November 2020 from Nanjizel. The orange-greeney stain around her eyes is from her routine veterinary assessment on admission.

⚠️GIVE SEALS SPACE⚠️

We have had a number of serious disturbance incidents along the welsh coast over the past few weeks including resting seals being handled and thrown back in the sea.

Please remember that seals should NEVER be closely approached on land or in the sea. Seals need to rest on land to build up critical oxygen and energy reserves so a sleeping seal doesn't necessarily mean its a poorly seal.

If you do think something is wrong report your location to BDMLR on 01825 765 546 and continue to maintain as much distance as possible, don't post their location on social media, and keep people away until medics arrive.

Thank you. Stay safe.

Photo: David Clark

Yesterday we got reports of a bottlenose dolphin that had washed up on the beach at Criccieth in Gwynedd. Although bottlenose dolphins are one of the key species for the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme (CSIP), and they are being regularly seen swimming in family pods around the Welsh coast it is rare for one to be reported to us. This is mostly because when they do die, they tend to sink and not get washed ashore. This will be the case for this adult male bottlenose dolphin. It's not until it has started to decompose that it has come back to the surface and been blown ashore by the wind and tides.

Due to its state of decomposition, we are unlikely to ever know what killed this one. We have taken skin, blubber and muscle samples which will give us and understanding of the chemicals and pollutants it has come into contact with during its life and give us an understanding of the state of the population of bottlenose dolphins around Wales.

Although we won’t know what killed this bottlenose dolphin, we do know that bottlenose dolphins are responsible for the death of many other dolphins and porpoises around the Welsh coast. In the last month we have collected three porpoises that we suspect had been killed by bottlenose dolphin, including a porpoise we collected off Newport sands beach in Pembrokeshire, which we have since been able to confirm that it had been killed by a bottlenose dolphin.

Thank you to all those that reported this dolphin to us, and as always if you come across a dead cetacean, seal, large bodied shark or marine turtle stranded we ask you call the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme on 0800 6520333.

The last couple of weeks have been busy for us and the CSI project here in Wales. We have received several reports of harbour porpoises, common dolphins, and grey seals around the Welsh coastline.

Within these reports was 7 for harbour porpoise. It is common to get high number of reports around this time of year due to mothers giving birth between May and August. We would normally expect to see more juvenile porpoises, but so far, we have only had one reported to us washing up on Ynyslas beach in Ceredigion. We have collected two of the porpoises for further examination. One from Tywyn beach in Gwynedd, and the other from Newport beach in Pembrokeshire.

Along with the Cetaceans that have been reported to us we got a phone call from the RSPCA about a mass stranding of Starry smooth hound sharks in Llandudno, Conwy last Saturday evening. Public on the beach had reported seeing around 30 of the sharks washed up on the beach. Unfortunately, they were all dead. With the help of the North Wales Wildlife trust we were able to collect two of the sharks. This will enable us to better understand about the overall condition of this species and try and find out why 30 of them washed up in North Wales.

If you see a dead stranded cetacean (porpoise, dolphin, whale), seal or shark we ask that you give us a call on 0800 652 0333