Increase in dead dolphins in Cornwall (From This is The West Country)

Increase in dead dolphins in Cornwall

3:00pm Monday 26th January 2009

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The Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network has reported an increase in stranded dolphins in recent weeks.

Over a three day period, between January 17 and 19, the Marine Strandings Network's volunteers have responded to calls to six strandings: three harbour porpoises and three common dolphins. These stranded animals were found all around the county from Bude on the north coast, to Praa Sands in the west and eastwards to Porth Luney near St Austell.

Tom Hardy, marine conservation officer for the Trust says: “This is sadly something that's often seen at this time of the year when some fisheries are more active.

“Seeing so many strandings in such a short period is worrying, especially as some of the animals show clear marks of accidental entanglement in fishing gear."

Tom added: “Records made over many years in Cornwall have shown the link between certain fishing methods and dead stranded cetaceans and this has been confirmed in the many dolphins that are sent for post mortem examination.”

Cornwall Wildlife Trust has been campaigning for protection of our dolphin populations for many years. Their recent appeal to raise funds for a ‘pinger’ trial was a huge success and raised over £15,000. The money has been successfully used as match funding to secure a grant from the Fisheries Challenge Fund, a Defra project.

Cornwall Sea Fisheries Committee (CSFC) is working in partnership with Cornwall Wildlife Trust on this project and has already found five fishermen who are willing to take part in the trial. The trial aims to prove the effectiveness and practicality of pingers on smaller inshore vessels up to 12 metres long.

CSFC senior fishery officer Simon Cadman said: “No-one, including fishermen, wants to see these animals caught in nets and we hope the pinger project will prove beneficial in demonstrating a practical solution for preventing accidental cetacean bycatch.”

The Trust hopes to begin the pinger trial this spring and is currently researching which type of pinger will be most suitable.

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