Follow on Google News News By Tag Industry News News By Location Country(s) Industry News
Follow on Google News | Exciting New Dolphin Project off North East Coast of UKA new project involving the marine conservation charity Marinelife, Northern Experience Wildlife Tours and Natural England, to monitor White-Beaked Dolphins and other marine wildlife off the Northumberland coast, UK.
By: Marinelife Now thanks to funding from Natural England (£17,700) and the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club (£1000), a new project starts this month to discover more about White-Beaked Dolphins and other species in the rarely studied Farne Deeps off the Northumberland coast. The partnership includes Marinelife, Natural England, the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club, the University of Aberdeen, and Northern Experience Wildlife Tours - who will coordinate the winter surveys in the Farne Deeps and surrounding waters. Dr. Tom Brereton, Research Director for Marinelife commented: “Our work along the coast of the south west has provided useful information on the distribution of White-Beaked Dolphins and their preferred habitats and this project will help complement and extend the existing work. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the area around the Farne Deeps will be important not only for White-Beaked Dolphins, but also for wintering seabirds”. As with the project along the south west coast, the aim is to engage the local community in the conservation work and the value of safeguarding this species. It is believed the work can also raise the profile of Northumberland as an eco-tourism destination. A sightings website and postcard survey will be launched for local fishermen, recreational dive and angling boats, and yachtsmen to submit any sightings of White-beaked Dolphin and other cetacean species. Dr. Catherine Scott, Marine Advisor for Natural England North East added: “Natural England is delighted to be supporting this exciting project. The survey will help us understand more about the importance of the sea off Northumberland for these little-known marine mammals, which are a priority species for wider marine protection. This is a great way for the North East to mark the start of the International Year of Biodiversity and it’s possible that this survey will discover that we have a nationally important stronghold for White-Beaked Dolphins off the coast of Northumberland. Through this new project, the North East is playing a vital role in identifying the areas which need protection to safeguard the future for this species around the UK.” Dr. Martin Kitching, lead surveyor from Northern Experience said: "We have been recording White-Beaked Dolphins and other wildlife along the coast of Northumberland for seven years, and now systematically investigating the off-shore waters during the winter months, and engaging with the local community, provides a real opportunity to define the North Sea off Northumberland as an important area for conservation efforts". The project also involves setting up a photographic database of dolphins that will help experts to identify individual animals. In future, the ‘photo fits’ taken of dolphins in waters off South West and North East England will help find out how wide ranging the animals are and whether the two populations are linked. White-Beaked Dolphins are a species limited in distribution to the colder waters of the Atlantic. The North Sea represents some of the coldest waters around the UK coastline and this new project will strengthen the scientific data about this and other species in this area and help support conservation efforts for this vulnerable species. - ends – For further information including interviews and images please contact: Adrian Shephard PR & Publicity Officer Tel: +44 (0) 7789 657617 E: adrian.shephard@ Dr Tom Brereton Research Director Tel: +44 (0) 7816 786173 E: tom.brereton@ Martin Kitching Northern Experience Tel: +44 (0) 1670 827465 E: martin@newtltd.co.uk Natural England David Hirst Press Officer, Natural England North East Tel: 03000 601720 E: david.hirst@ NOTES TO EDITORS About Marinelife Marinelife is a Charitable Limited Company established to co-ordinate and develop a growing portfolio of global research and monitoring projects. Through these we aim to further the conservation of the wildlife of coasts and oceans through scientific investigation and educational activities. Marinelife continues to work in partnership with a number of other research groups, spearheading an international initiative, the Atlantic Research Coalition (ARC) that aims to describe changes in the status of whales and dolphins at a European scale. Further information on Marinelife can be found by visiting our website at www.marine-life.org.uk About Natural England Natural England is the government’s independent advisor on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public. • We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved. • We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation. • We run England’s Environmental Stewardship green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland. • We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats. About the Northern Experience Wildlife Tours Northern Experience Wildlife Tours was founded in 2006, offering guided wildlife and birdwatching trips throughout Northeast England year-round and offshore wildlife cruises in July, August and September. Northern Experience owner, Martin Kitching, has organised offshore wildlife trips from Northumberland since 1998 and was one of the finders of the first Wilson's Petrel to be seen in the British North Sea. Martin Kitching is the former Field Trips Officer for the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club and former editor, and current author, and sub-editor, of the highly rated annual report, Birds in Northumbria. Further information can be found by visiting our website at www.northernexperiencewildlifetours.co.uk International Year of Biodiversity 2010 has been designated as International Year of Biodiversity (IYB) by the United Nations. Since 2002 some 200 countries have been working towards targets to significantly reduce the rate of loss of biodiversity and in the UK this is being led by the Natural History Museum funded by DEFRA and supported by over 150 partners including Natural England. The focus will be to increase awareness of the importance of biodiversity, why it matters to everyone at both a global and local level, and to raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding biodiversity by outlining threats as well as accomplishments by individuals, communities and governments to the problem. It will be a chance for people to get involved and help conservation efforts needed to save our native species which are currently being lost at a rate 100 times greater than the natural rate of extinction and explain how we can all play a part in achieving this. # # # Marinelife is a Charitable organisation established to co-ordinate and develop global whale & dolphin research and monitoring projects to further the conservation of the wildlife of coasts and oceans through scientific investigation and education End
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Account Phone Number