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Dolphins captured for captivity in Taiji. Image: Hans Peter Roth

Loved and killed – whales and dolphins in Japan

Protests and criticism from outside Japan in response to the slaughter of whales and dolphins...
Narwhal with beluga whales

Unusual Whale Adoptions

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Irrawaddy dolphin

Helping fishers protect dolphins in Sarawak, Borneo

Fishing nets are bad news for dolphins and porpoises, so we're working with local fishers...
Dolphin watching from Chanonry Point, Scotland. Image: WDC/Charlie Phillips

Discovering inner peace – whale and dolphin watching and mental wellbeing

Guest blog If you've ever seen whales or dolphins in the wild, you'll know that...
Whale tail

An ocean of hope

In a monumental, jaw-dropping demonstration of global community, the nations of the world made history...
North Atlantic right whale Porcia and her calf.

Critically Endangered Right Whale Babies Spotted

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
The infamous killing cove at Taiji, Japan

Why the Taiji dolphin hunt can never be justified

Supporters of the dolphin slaughter in Japan argue that killing a few hundred dolphins every...
Image: Peter Linforth

Tracking whales from space will help us save them

Satellite technology holds one of the keys to 21st century whale conservation, so we're exploring...

HotSpots – A Round up of UK Summer Sightings

After a long cold winter and a record-breaking cold spring, the UK basked in sunshine and enjoyed one of the warmest summers on record; in fact it was the ninth warmest since records began in 1910. Many more people were out enjoying the sunshine all around the UK, so there were many more eyes on the sea to spot any whales and dolphins around our coasts. In fact we have had sightings from kayaks and canoes, catamarans and cliffs!

One of the highlights reported to us over the summer was a pod of Risso’s dolphins spotted off Bardsey Island in July. Justine Curgenven was kayaking across a flat calm, almost mirror like ocean, on a balmy sunny day, when the Risso’s dolphins crossed in front, and underneath, her kayak! She took some amazing footage, which can be seen in our blog of this amazing sighting.

Bottlenose dolphins were by far the species most regularly reported to us over the summer. Sightings ranged from the Isle of Jura in Scotland to Plymouth in the south of England. Many of the pods included juvenile animals, bow-riding next to boats alongside the adults.

We also received two separate sightings of solitary bottlenose dolphins at the mouth of the River Tamar in the Mayflower Marina, the other near Drake’s Island. From the photos that were provided with the sightings we were able to identify the individual as Georges II, which is a dolphin that is often spotted in the area.

Summer also saw a number of Orca sightings off the coast of Scotland, usually travelling in family groups, including one group that travelled alongside a boat for 15 minutes from Troop Head to Fraserburgh.

Harbour porpoises, common dolphins and minke whales have also been spotted around the UK, a couple of harbour porpoises were seen alongside a minke whale that was seen offshore from Embleton Bay, Northumberland.

There is so much to see out there so KEEP SPOTTING and sending us your sightings, photos and videos. Here’s how to tell us what you see

About Vicki James

Green Whale research coordinator