Sea Trust Interim Report, Summer/Autumn 2004
Sea Trust (a section of the Wildlife Trust, South and West Wales) has been up and running for just about a year now, with funding from Environment Wales, The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and, more recently, Stena Line. We can now begin to appraise our performance against the goals we set out to achieve.
These come under several categories and can be judged in several ways but let’s firstly look at our output, those things that I believe provide tangible evidence of work being done.
Firstly we have produced a report that was written by Sea Trust Secretary, Sarah Earl with Emily Sheen helping with statistics and myself (Cliff Benson) basically acting as general factotum.
Dr David Worrall, (Area Manager, West), of CCW, commissioned the report, entitled “The short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis and other cetaceans in Pembrokeshire waters and the southern Irish Sea”. It was a demanding task achieved under difficult conditions and Sarah should be congratulated on her fortitude and scholarship. Pictures, mainly by Janet Baxter (the good ones), illustrate the report, along with Emily’s graphs.
The report is based on cetacean sightings data collected in 2001, 2002 and 2003 by Sea Trust volunteers, with the support of Environment Wales and The Countryside Council for Wales. It can be accessed on our website, www.seatrust.org.uk
Photo: Janet Baxter
Common dolphins off the Pembrokeshire coast
Cetaceans in Pembrokeshire waters
Information on the distribution of cetaceans in Pembrokeshire waters is, at the moment, somewhat sketchy and outdated and for some years Sea Trust has felt a need to get a clearer picture of which species regularly use these waters.
The study area: the Pembrokeshire coast and St George’s Channel
Therefore, Sea Trust is now conducting three separate surveys within the study area, aimed at helping to give a more up to date and accurate assessment of cetacean distribution and abundance.
These include:
1. Strumble Head Harbour Porpoise Survey – a land-based survey of porpoises, observed from the headland.
2. Small Boat Cetacean Survey - concentrating mainly on the distribution, numbers, group size and make-up and photo-identification of short-beaked common dolphins, from aboard “The Cartlett Lady” and other suitable craft.
3. Stena Ferry Survey - concentrating on the seasonal distribution of short-beaked common dolphins and other cetaceans, carried out from aboard the Fishguard to Rosslaire ferry “Stena Europe”.
These surveys are all successfully in progress and beginning to produce interesting results.
1. Strumble Head Harbour Porpoise Survey
Strumble Head lighthouse from the observation point
For several years we have been observing harbour porpoises from Strumble Head and recently we’ve been investigating ways of understanding porpoise presence, abundance and seasonality.
A pilot study, funded by Environment Wales, has been initiated over the past year to develop data gathering techniques. It has been a process of continual re-assessment but we feel we are now producing reliable data.
We can now demonstrate that harbour porpoises are present throughout the whole year at Strumble Head, and in significant numbers. It is also clear that Strumble Head and its tide-race is a very important habitat for harbour porpoises for both feeding and as a nursery area.
Photo: Janet Baxter Photo: Janet Baxter
Harbour porpoise mother with calf Harbour porpoises at Strumble Head
The main effort has been in developing these data recording techniques in order to provide a reasonably accurate appraisal of porpoise activity and habitat use around Strumble Head, and how this might relate to the undersea topography and tidal currents.
Sea Trust members Lyndon Lomax, Steve Berry and Cliff Benson have co-operated in devising a form which can be used by our volunteers to give a good indication of fine-scale temporal and spatial usage, together with an indication of the number of porpoises involved.
The next stage in the process will be to train volunteers to use these forms and to collate the hundreds of hour’s worth of data gathered so far.
Sea Trust members Graham Rees and Cliff Benson have spent over 1,000 hours this year recording cetaceans and sea birds at Strumble Head, with more than twenty other observers contributing many more hours in all months and conditions.
Sea Trust volunteers at Strumble Head
2. Sea Trust Small Boat Cetacean Surveys
Survey work aboard the “Cartlett Lady”
Sea Trust’s small boat cetacean surveys are designed to achieve several goals.
Most importantly we are trying to assess the status of common dolphins in the waters around the Pembrokeshire coast. These surveys are specifically designed to gather information on distribution, abundance, group size and make up, as well as determining breeding success for this species in these waters.
The sea area surveyed includes the northern Celtic and southern Irish Seas. This is particularly important sea area given the fact that, according to official Government figures, over 4,000 common dolphins die in the annual winter bass fishery in the Celtic Sea.
These surveys also give us the opportunity to assess the abundance and distribution of other cetacean species occurring in these waters.
Photo: Janet Baxter
A group of common dolphins
We are also videoing and photographing the cetaceans we see. Professional photographer Janet Baxter has undertaken the photography with Lyndon Lomax.
Many hours of video footage has been taken by Cliff Benson, with professional wildlife film-maker Dee Doody supplying training and expertise.
Janet Baxter at work aboard the “Cartlett Lady” Cliff Benson videoing a group of common dolphins
The results of this work will provide us with a photographic and video catalogue of individually marked animals. Social behaviour, including mating, is also being recorded.
Photo: Janet Baxter
Common dolphin with damage to dorsal fin
Surveys carried out before the 2004 season formed the basis of our recently published report for CCW. So far, despite poor weather conditions this summer, we have completed 10 surveys this season and are on schedule.
Sea Trust will be producing a report at the end of this field season but so far sightings of cetaceans are into four figures. Some very revealing photographic and video evidence has been collected including images of quite a few well-marked individuals.
We have also been able to send photographs and information on interesting/unusual fish species seen to Dr Douglas Herdson, at the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth. These include Basking Sharks, Sunfish, Triggerfish and Lumpsucker.
More than thirty volunteers have contributed in excess of 1000 hours work on these surveys so far.
3. Sea Trust “Stena Europe” Ferry Surveys
Dr David Worrall (CCW) first suggested that it might be useful to use the regular ferry service between Fishguard in south-west Wales and Rosslaire in south-east Ireland, to survey cetaceans in St George’s Channel. Coincidentally, Carl Milne, Routes Director for Stena Line, had the same idea! Sea Trust was happy to oblige both and began surveys in April 2004.
Since then, Sea Trust volunteers have been regularly crossing the Irish Sea aboard the “Stena Europe” super ferry, recording cetaceans from the bridge.
So far five species of cetaceans have been recorded: harbour porpoise and common dolphin on almost every trip, Risso’s dolphin on about half, with minke whales seen on four occasions and bottlenose dolphins once.
Photo: Janet Baxter
Minke whale with Manx shearwaters
Photo: Janet Baxter Photo: Janet Baxter
Common dolphins Risso’s dolphin breaching
We survey over two days, starting with the Fishguard to Rosslaire leg, sleeping aboard the ferry and then surveying the Rosslaire to Fishguard leg the following day. Stena Line generously donate tickets and cabins.
The beauty of this arrangement is that we can do the surveys in conditions that would not be suitable in the “Cartlett Lady” or similar small craft. It is also a year-round survey so we should achieve a complete seasonal objective.
A nice spin off has been the awareness-raising opportunities afforded by giving onboard talks to the passengers. These take part on each sailing that we do and have been attended by several hundreds of passengers.
These surveys provide an excellent opportunity to involve the ferry passengers in the work of Sea Trust, explain our objectives and demonstrate the diversity of marine animals that frequent St Georges Channel. It also allows us to show how we are supported by the Wildlife Trust, CCW, Environment Wales and Stena Line. Many passengers are then keen to spend time on the deck behind the bridge, where we can actually point out cetaceans to them. Occasionally they see them first and alert us!
Between April and September we have completed thirty days of surveys aboard the “Stena Europe”. Stena Line employees have been extremely helpful both aboard the ship and ashore; indeed officers on the bridge often contribute sightings.
Ship’s master, Bob Wheel (above left), releasing a Manx shearwater found in a Fishguard garden, from the bridge of the “Stena Europe”.
Sea Trust volunteers (above right) working aboard the “Stena Europe”
Observers spend twenty hours on the ship per survey trip, travelling to Ireland and back twice, so in real terms, including travelling and meals, the figure would be nearer 45 full days given to Sea Trust by volunteers.
We are only five months into the first year of this survey project, which we think can already be counted as a resounding success from several perspectives.
Sea Trust ferry survey volunteers
Other Sea Trust Events and Contributions
Sea Trust considers awareness-raising to be an intrinsic part of our manifesto and we have taken part in six public events already this season.
Harbour porpoise watches have taken place at the Strumble Head lookout and included one for the National Biodiversity Week, and another was an evening watch in late August, both of which attracted about sixty participants.
One very successful event was a harbour porpoise watch at the Strumble Head lighthouse, in aid of the Shalom House Hospice, when over 700 people attended. Cliff Benson gave 14 talks over a four hour period, each attended by about 50 people. Steve Berry and ‘Stevo’ Lucas also assisted.
“Stevo” Lucas and his dad with Sea Trust cetacean identification posters
Sea Trust Chairman Cliff Benson also joined the commentary team on the Wildlife Trust, S&W Wales annual “SS Waverly” Pembrokeshire Islands Cruise, with 600 passengers on board.
Sea Trust also attended the Fishguard Festival of the Sea and the Pembrokeshire County Show, where we were able to explain our work to members of the public.
Sea Trust has been the subject of articles and reports on TV, radio and in newspapers, both national and local, all of which help us to get over our message.
Regular reports on UK Cetnet and a new website www.seatrust.org.uk all add to our profile.
All in all I think we are pretty much up to speed and fulfilling our commitments to our funding partners. We have several new projects in mind and look forward to the future and pressing ahead, with their support.
Cliff Benson, Chair, Sea Trust, South and West Wales