Porpoise Photo-ID Project
Eight years in, the photo-ID project is continuing to bust the myth that you cannot identify harbour porpoises using photo-ID. With a catalogue of over 200 individuals and a team of volunteers out surveying most days of the week, we are getting a closer look at the daily lives of these animals. Finding out things about the species and the Pembrokeshire population that have never been known before. Help us continue our ground-breaking work by donating to our Porpoise Photo-ID Project fundraising page. DONATEPhoto-ID Methods Report
Porpoise Photo-ID Project
This a community project that conducts ground-breaking harbour porpoise research through photo-ID, recruits and trains local volunteers as citizen scientists, visits local schools with the marine wildlife roadshow, spreads awareness about our local marine wildlife and increases individual and community well-being. This project is currently funded by The Big Give Green Match Fund. The project was initially funded by the Enhancing Pembrokeshire Fund and the Heritage Fund from the National Lottery with contributions from Valero, Biodiversity Solutions, The Nineveh Trust and the Sea Trust Swimathon. Sea Trust would like to thank all its funders, second-home owners in Fishguard, Goodwick and Pencaer and the national lottery players for funding such an important and ground-breaking project.
The aim of this project is to continue our long-term monitoring of the species and its habitat through photo ID surveys, increase awareness of the harbour porpoise in the local area and positively influence mental health and well-being.
The citizen science aspect of the project focuses on the photo-ID surveys and the volunteers. Volunteers benefit directly from the project, accessing nature on a weekly basis and working as a team towards the conservation of a very important species. In previous years, we have seen vast improvements in volunteer mental health and well-being and individual personal and professional development. The photo-ID surveys around the Pembrokeshire coastal path will provide essential data regarding porpoise movement, individual and group and population dynamics and much more. The data collected as part of this project will contribute towards answering questions regarding harbour porpoise site usage, behaviours, provide additional information on the range of the local population as well as the potential effects of human activities on their behaviour. The information we collect can aid in the protection of the species which will have a positive knock on effect to its associating ecosystem and the natural heritage of the area. The data we can collect here in Pembrokeshire will add to the current knowledge of porpoises and therefore has the potential to be pivotal in porpoise research. The picture below shows just some of the information we can find out through long-term monitoring.
The community aspect of the project focuses on community outreach and raising awareness of the harbour porpoise and other marine wildlife. The project works with local schools and community groups as well as hosting several project related community events.
The project educates the community about the precious marine life they have on their doorstep and encourages them to be proud of their natural heritage and in turn protect it by changing their attitudes and behaviours. Long-term monitoring surveys will help ensure that the porpoises and other marine life are protected and will remain abundant around the Pembrokeshire coast for future generations to enjoy. This project will make a lasting difference to natural heritage by establishing baseline porpoise data including porpoise movements, behaviour and population status. Data collected will assist in our overall goal of protecting the harbour porpoise population in Pembrokeshire.
Our photo-ID data has contributed to the chapter “Sexual Behavior and Anatomy in Porpoises” in the book Sex in Cetaceans, co-authored by Holly Dunn (previous Sea Trust Project Manager). Read the chapter here.
To become a volunteer for the Porpoise Photo-ID Project contact nadia@seatrust.org.uk
Reports:
Mental-health-and-wellbeing_-the-benefits-of-environmental-volunteering
Prosiect “Porpoise Photo ID”
Mae hwn yn brosiect cymunedol sy’n cynnal ymchwil arloesol ar llamhidydd y porthladd drwy ddefnyddio llun-adnabod (photo-ID), sy’n recriwtio ac yn hyfforddi gwirfoddolwyr lleol fel gwyddonwyr dinesig, sy’n ymweld ag ysgolion lleol gyda’r sioe deithiol bywyd gwyllt morol, sy’n lledaenu ymwybyddiaeth am ein bywyd gwyllt morol lleol ac yn cynyddu lles unigolion a chymunedau. Ar hyn o bryd, caiff y prosiect hwn ei ariannu gan The Big Give Green Match Fund. Ariannwyd y prosiect i ddechrau gan Gronfa Gwella Sir Benfro a’r Gronfa Dreftadaeth gan y Loteri Genedlaethol gyda chyfraniadau gan Valero, Biodiversity Solutions, The Nineveh Trust a Sea Trust Swimathon. Hoffai Sea Trust ddiolch i’w holl gyllidwyr, i berchnogion ail gartrefi yn Abergwaun, Wdig a Phencaer ac i chwaraewyr y loteri genedlaethol am ariannu prosiect mor bwysig ac arloesol.
Nod y prosiect hwn yw parhau â’n gwaith monitro hirdymor ar y rhywogaeth a’i chynefin drwy arolygon llun-adnabod, cynyddu ymwybyddiaeth o llamhidydd y porthladd yn yr ardal leol a dylanwadu’n gadarnhaol ar iechyd meddwl a lles.
Mae agwedd gwyddoniaeth ddinesig y prosiect yn canolbwyntio ar yr arolygon llun-adnabod a’r gwirfoddolwyr. Mae gwirfoddolwyr yn elwa’n uniongyrchol o’r prosiect, yn cael mynediad at fyd natur yn wythnosol ac yn gweithio fel tîm tuag at warchod rhywogaeth bwysig iawn. Mewn blynyddoedd blaenorol, rydym wedi gweld gwelliannau enfawr yn iechyd meddwl a lles gwirfoddolwyr a datblygiad personol a phroffesiynol unigol. Bydd arolygon llun-adnabod o amgylch llwybr arfordirol Sir Benfro yn rhoi data hanfodol ynglŷn â symudiad llamhidyddion, dynamig unigol a grŵp a phoblogaeth a llawer mwy. Bydd y data a gasglwyd fel rhan o’r prosiect hwn yn cyfrannu at ateb cwestiynau ynglŷn â defnydd safle llamhidydd y porthladd, ymddygiadau, rhoi gwybodaeth ychwanegol am ystod y boblogaeth leol yn ogystal ag effeithiau posibl gweithgareddau dynol ar eu hymddygiad. Gall yr wybodaeth a gasglwn helpu i amddiffyn y rhywogaeth a fydd yn cael effaith gadarnhaol ar ei hecosystem gysylltiedig a threftadaeth naturiol yr ardal. Bydd y data y gallwn ei gasglu yma yn Sir Benfro yn ychwanegu at y wybodaeth gyfredol am llamhidyddion ac felly mae ganddo’r potensial i fod yn ganolog i ymchwil ar llamhidyddion. Mae’r llun isod yn dangos dim ond rhywfaint o’r wybodaeth y gallwn ei darganfod drwy fonitro hirdymor.
Mae agwedd gymunedol y prosiect yn canolbwyntio ar allgymorth cymunedol a chodi ymwybyddiaeth o llamhidydd y porthladd a bywyd gwyllt morol arall. Mae’r prosiect yn gweithio gydag ysgolion lleol a grwpiau cymunedol yn ogystal â chynnal nifer o ddigwyddiadau cymunedol sy’n gysylltiedig â’r prosiect.
Mae’r prosiect yn addysgu’r gymuned am y bywyd morol gwerthfawr sydd ganddyn nhw ar garreg eu drws ac yn eu hannog i fod yn falch o’u treftadaeth naturiol ac yn eu tro ei hamddiffyn drwy newid eu hagweddau a’u hymddygiadau. Bydd arolygon monitro hirdymor yn helpu i sicrhau bod y llamhidyddion a bywyd morol arall yn cael eu gwarchod ac y byddant yn parhau’n helaeth o amgylch arfordir Sir Benfro i genedlaethau’r dyfodol eu mwynhau. Bydd y prosiect hwn yn gwneud gwahaniaeth parhaol i dreftadaeth naturiol drwy sefydlu data sylfaenol ar llamhidyddion gan gynnwys symudiadau llamhidyddion, ymddygiad a statws poblogaeth. Bydd data a gasglwyd yn cynorthwyo ein nod cyffredinol o amddiffyn poblogaeth llamhidydd y porthladd yn Sir Benfro.
I dod yn gwirfoddolwr ar gyfer yr Prosiect Porpoise yr Pobl cysylltwch a nadia@seatrust.org.uk.
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