Whales, dolphins and porpoises
Twenty-eight species of whales, dolphins and porpoises
(cetaceans) are known to occur in north-west European waters. In UK
waters, Eleven species may be seen regularly throughout the
year including minke, fin and sperm whales, harbour porpoises and
four species of dolphin - bottlenose, common, Atlantic white-sided
and white beaked.
A variety of conservation issues affect cetaceans in UK waters
today, many of which are Relate to human activity. They include
fishing, pollution
and the effects of noise from shipping, oil and gas
exploration , military activity and tourism.The degree of
impact of any human activity, varies considerably between different
species and depending on their ecology, distribution and
abundance.
A range of legislative instruments oblige the UK to support
research that has a bearing on the conservation status of cetacean
populations. All species are listed on Annex IV of the Habitats
Directive (92/43/EEC). It requires regular assessments of the
conservation status of all species that cover abundance,
distribution and the pressures and threats experienced. In
addition, bottlenose dolphin and harbour porpoise are listed on the
Directive’s Annex II which requires the designation of Special Areas of Conservation where areas
can be identified.
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (Bonn
Convention) and the Agreement on the Conservation of Small
Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS), oblige signatories – which
include the UK - to apply a range of research and management
measures aimed at the conservation of all cetaceans. An objective
under ASCOBANS commits signatories to reducing the incidental catch
of harbour porpoises in commercial fisheries to 1.7 per cent of the
species’ abundance, a target specified in the EU Regulation
812/2004.
JNCC support of cetacean
conservation includes:
- conducting and commissioning research and
surveillance to provide an adequate information base for
supporting existing legal requirements and other obligations. For
example, the Seabirds at Sea Team collect opportunistic sightings
of cetaceans and, through collaboration with the Sea Watch Foundation
and Sea Mammal Research Unit,
have produced statistics on the distribution and relative
abundance of cetaceans in the waters off north-west Europe. These
data form a series of spreadsheets called the Joint Cetacean
Database (JCD) which are available for download and are
presented in the Atlas of Cetacean distribution
in north-west European waters (2003);
- the Joint Cetacean Protocol
(JCP), which will deliver information on the distribution,
abundance and population trends of cetacean species occurring in
north-west European waters. The JCP will build on cetacean
sightings datasets utilised in the Atlas of cetacean
distribution in north-west European waters with a view to
providing Government and stakeholders with up-to-date information
on the conservation status of cetaceans in north-west European
waters; and
- day-to-day management of the UK
Cetacean Stranding Investigation
Programme on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs and the devolved administrations.