Dolphin sounds in Jersey to be recorded for accent study

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DolphinsImage source, GECC Normandie
Image caption,

Scientists will record how dolphins communicate with each other around Jersey

Dolphin sounds will be recorded by underwater microphones for the first time in Jersey, wildlife experts have claimed.

The clicking noises of dolphins will be analysed by scientists from the Marine Biology Section of Societe Jersiaise for different behavioural patterns.

Senior researcher, Gareth Jeffreys, said: "Different groups will have different accents."

The resident dolphin population around Jersey is the biggest in the UK.

Dolphins swimming underwaterImage source, GECC Normandie
Image caption,

Dolphins underwater off the coast of Jersey

The types of clicks dolphins make can tell researchers which pod they belong to, as well as how they are behaving, such as the short clicks they use when feeding.

Researchers will attach two hydrophones to the seabed around the coast of Jersey.

The recordings from the devices will help scientists identify the "numbers, species and movements" of the dolphins.

'Dolphin hotspots'

SD cards fitted into the hydrophones will record the noise data, which scientists will remove for analysis every six months.

Mr Jeffreys told the BBC that there were "dolphin hotspots", including around St Catherine's breakwater and along the north-west coast, between Sark and Jersey.

The are around 100 dolphins off the coast of Jersey. The project is expected to start in spring.

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