The behaviour of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in relation to boat traffic in New Quay, Cardigan Bay by Megan Rush, Plymouth University (2016).
Effort data was collected from the harbour wall located in New Quay on a daily basis from 9am to 5pm between 2012-15. This data was observed in regular intervals of fifteen minutes over a two-hour period. Within these intervals, environmental conditions were recorded alongside sighting of marine mammal activity. This included the presence of boats within a 300-metre radius of bottlenose dolphins and their displayed behaviours, which is the focus of this study. In this study, there was only one significant behavioural response towards the presence of boats. The behaviour displayed was observed as being travelling in conjunction with long dives and surfacing irregularly. There has been a longstanding debate on whether boat activity is causing an impact on the semi-resident dolphins in New Quay. According to the results found here, there does not appear to be a high significant impact on the dolphins in the bay, but the impact of boats over a longer period could alter behaviour if traffic levels rise. The longer-term effects of boat activity would also require further investigation.
Author: Sarah Perry
Cardigan Bay Marine Team Makes A Splash At Local Hero Awards!
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’ Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre marine team are delighted to have won Radio Ceredigion’s Local Hero ‘Green’ Award!
The heart moving award ceremony was held at The Pier, Aberystwyth last week. These awards are the first of its kind in Ceredigion and were launched to recognise and reward local hero’s who go that ‘extra mile’ for their community.
The Wildlife Trust Living Seas Science Officer Sarah Perry said,
“We are so proud to be the winners of the Radio Ceredigion, Local Hero’s ‘Green’ Award. This means a great deal to the Wildlife Trust team at the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre. It’s inspiring that listeners of Radio Ceredigion recognise and value the hard work and efforts of our important marine conservation work and research in and around Cardigan Bay”.
Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre is located in the heart of New Quay, overlooking the beautiful beach and harbour. Here visitors can learn about local marine wildlife, join a Dolphin Boat Survey Trip, find out about our vital research, or have a go at our new virtual reality underwater ‘Sea Quest’ experience.
Steve Hartley, owner of Dolphin Survey Boat Trips founded the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre originally in 1996 says
“I am privileged to have been involved with the Centre from its humble beginnings; it makes me very proud to see the progress the Centre has made over the years raising awareness of the wonderful wildlife we have in Cardigan Bay through research and education. I am also proud of the many opportunities the centre has be able to give to students and young people over the years in helping them gain valuable experience for their futures”.
Sarah continued to say,
“The Wildlife Trust would like to say a huge thank you to all the wonderful people that have supported our Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre over the years. As a Trust we wouldn’t be able to achieve our aims in helping to conserve our local marine environment without the assistance of our amazing volunteers who dedicate thousands of hours of their time. We look forward to the future and to continuing our work throughout Cardigan Bay and beyond”!
The Radio Ceredigion Local Hero ‘Green Award’ was sponsored by Celtic Sustainables, Cardigan, their founder and Director Glyn Hyett said
“We are delighted that the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre won, they do such great work! Dolphins and other marine wildlife are key indicators for the health of our seas; we are so pleased that Steve, Sarah and their team of wonderful volunteers are keeping a close eye on it and providing a fun way for people to get involved in the research through their survey boat trips.”
Preliminary study into estimating Bottlenose dolphin population size in Cardigan Bay 2001
Preliminary study estimating Bottlenose dolphin population size in Cardigan Bay, west Wales 2001 by PR Gregory & SWH Hartley
A preliminary study was undertaken during mid-May to August 2001 to identify the bottlenose dolphin population size and highlight dolphin’s habitat use or “home range” within the boundaries of the Cardigan Bay cSAC. The population size was estimated by applying mark-recapture analysis to photo-identification data.
Full report can be downloaded here