We hosted a social survey at Strumble Head, allowing the public to get involved with Porpoise surveys and get to know the team at Sea Trust. Over 50 people joined in with this survey, giving them an opportunity to learn more about Pembrokeshire’s cetaceans and learn how to carry out a wildlife survey. Hosting surveys open to the public is always nerve-wracking as you can never guarantee a cetacean sighting but, thankfully, on this occasion nature was on our side. Not only did we have 5 porpoise sightings, we also saw Risso’s dolphins which are usually found in deep, offshore waters but are being more frequently observed surrounding Strumble Head.
It’s fantastic to see so many people get involved and take interest in marine conservation – providing so much hope for the future of our local wildlife.
We carry out porpoise surveys most weekdays (weather dependent), allowing volunteers to enjoy the outdoors while contributing to our ground-breaking research on porpoises. This improves mental health while providing opportunity to develop survey skills and species-ID knowledge.