Man convicted for harassing dolphins
A man who was seen in his speedboat corralling a pod of feeding bottlenose dolphins off the North Yorkshire coast has been found guilty of causing disturbance. On 9 July 2021 Christopher Barker, 45, from Brompton-by-Sawdon, was seen to drive the high-powered boat numerous times around the pod close to the shore off Scarborough’s South…
Read MoreUkraine invasion may have triggered dolphin deaths
Following reports a few weeks ago that military dolphins were being used by Russia as part of its invasion of Ukraine, it now seems that more dolphins may have been casualties in the ongoing war. Scientists think that the increase in noise pollution caused by Russian naval activity in the northern Black Sea could be…
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Norwegian whalers kill first minke whale of the season
Sadly, Norwegian whalers have killed the first minke whale this season. The whale was caught on Monday by the whaling ship Kato off the Finnmark coast. According to skipper Dag Myklebust, the whale was eight metres long and weighed around 1,700 kilos. In February, we reported that Bjørnar Skjæran, Norway’s new minister of fisheries had…
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WDC calls for stronger law enforcement to prevent dolphin disturbance
Whales, dolphins and porpoises around the coast of the UK are being put at risk from human disturbance by a failing legal system that is in need of urgent reform. As the Easter break begins in the UK, and holiday makers flock to the coast, marine mammals like dolphins are left vulnerable to the increasing…
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Man-made noise forces whales and dolphins to choose life over food
A new study looking at the effects of excessive underwater noise on whales, dolphins and porpoises has revealed that they can often face a choice of living over eating when they hear a threat. Researchers, including scientists from the University of St Andrews, have discovered that man-made underwater noise pollution is picked up by whales…
Read MoreRussian naval exercises off Irish coast threaten whales and dolphins
Military exercises planned by the Russian navy 150 miles off the south-west coast of Ireland next month raise the very real prospect of whales and dolphins washing up dead on Irish beaches, if active sonar are involved. This part of the ocean is known to be important for marine mammals, and particularly for vulnerable beaked…
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