Click enter data to start recording your whale and dolphin sightings or log on to enter Shorewatch effort and sightings!

Watching whales, dolphins and porpoises in the wild is a privileged experience and everyone has their own unique encounters with these amazing creatures. WDC collates sightings of whales, dolphins and porpoises, collectively known as cetaceans, from all around the UK. Sightings are becoming more frequent as awareness of UK whales and dolphins increases and it remains important to maintain a record of every sighting. These records help us build an archive of their movements and give an indication of the where whales and dolphins choose to make their homes within UK waters.
 
It is only by increasing our understanding of these creatures that we can effectively protect them. Our network of trained volunteers are watching out for whales and dolphins from specific Shorewatch sites around the Scottish coastline.
 
If you are a Shorewatcher, please login to enter or view your Shorewatch effort and sightings. We welcome sightings information from professional surveyors and the public as well. Please choose 'Record data' from the menu to enter your casual sightings of whales, dolphins and porpoises around the UK.

Shorewatch news

Living whales are worth an enormous amount of money!

Alice Walters's picture

'In exchange for data on whales and carbon, Chami and his economist colleagues have provided scientists with a weapons-grade talking point. Dollar values persuade policymakers in ways that appeals to biodiversity cannot, Chami said.'
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/11/04/living-whales-are-worth-an-enormous-amount-money/

Humpbacks in the Firth of Forth

Alice Walters's picture

Is the recent increase in humpback whale sightings in the Firth of Forth driven by a wider population recovery in the North Atlantic?  By changes in prey distribution or abundance?  By increased effort in watching and sharing encounters?  The report attached below looks at the sudden seasonal occurrence of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae within the Firth of Forth, Scotland using data collected by the Forth Marine Mammal Project who lead the watching from the Kinghorn Shorewatch site.

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Demographics of the Disappearing Bottlenose Dolphin in Argentina: A Common Species on Its Way Out?

Alice Walters's picture
Bottlenose Dolphin c Charlie Phillips

Species which are assumed to be common can begin to decline without anyone paying attention. This is why we monitor. Sometimes it is the species we least expect and things are changing in front of our eyes.
 
Read the complete paper by Els Vermeulen and Stefan Brager, linked below, or go to our Shorewatch forum pages to have your say.

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