Research to identify risk hotspots for dolphins

Dolphins provide an insight into the health of our oceans

Research to identify risks and threat hotspots for marine animals around the Channel Islands has been carried out by the University of Plymouth.

PHD students Becky Dudley and Beth Harvey said the study would look at human impacts and potential threats to marine populations including dolphins.

Ms Harvey said disturbance from a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) to a pod of bottlenose dolphins was picked up by a hydrophone as part of the study.

She said: "[The boat] came through a group of bottlenose dolphins not realising the potential impact that they can have. There are guidelines if you do encounter bottlenose dolphins out there on boats."

'Best protect them'

She added: "It's really important to stay at least 100m away from them because it's really important that those bottlenose dolphins can communicate with each other."

The university said the whole south coast of England and Gulf of Saint Malo were part of an important marine mammal area (IMMA).

Ms Dudley said her research involved looking at the ways bottlenose dolphin populations in coastal areas could be "better managed."

"I think they can tell us so much about the health of our oceans," she said.

She added: "Things that are affecting them, will affect the whole of the marine eco-system.

"They can really be used as a way to figure out how we as humans are affecting them and how we can best protect them."

The students said identification of the Channel Islands as an IMMA gave "global recognition of how important these areas are to cetaceans and that recognition may well lead to more management measures."

Ms Dudley added she hoped it would show "people what an amazing place the Channel Islands" was for marine mammals.