2018 Marine Mammal Strandings Annual Report
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www.strandings.com Marine Mammal & Marine Turtle Strandings (Welsh Coast) Annual Report 2018 R.S.Penrose. April 2019 Marine Environmental Monitoring Penwalk Llechryd Cardigan Ceredigion West Wales SA43 2PS e-mail: [email protected] 1 CONTENTS Page 1 CRYNODEB GWEITHREDOL 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 2 INTRODUCTION 6 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS 6 3.1 Live Animals. 7 3.2 Dead Animals. 7 4 RESULTS 8 4.1 Marine Mammals. 8 4.2 Bottlenose Dolphin Attacks. 13 4.3 Unusual Occurrences. 14 4.4 Live Strandings. 16 4.5 Tagging. 16 5 OTHER MARINE ANIMALS REPORTED TO THE NETWORK 17 5.1 Seals. 17 5.2 Sharks. 17 5.3 Marine Turtles. 19 6 SAMPLES 20 7 FUNDING 20 8 PUBLICITY 20 9 LEGISLATION 20 10 EQUIPMENT 21 11 TRAVEL 21 12 ADMINISTRATION 21 13 CAUSE OF DEATH 21 14 LIST OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES USED IN THIS REPORT 22 15 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 22 16 APPENDICES 22 2 List of Figures. page Figure 1. Current Technical Co-ordination of the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP). 6 Figure 2. Reported bottlenose dolphin strandings on the Welsh coast. 10 Figure 3. Bottlenose dolphin strandings by month. 10 Figure 4. Bottlenose dolphin strandings averaged over 1990 to 2018. 10 Figure 5. Reported harbour porpoise strandings on the Welsh coast. 11 Figure 6. Harbour porpoise strandings by month. 11 Figure 7. Harbour porpoise strandings averaged over 1990 to 2018. 11 Figure 8. Reported grey seal mortality on the Welsh coast. 12 Grey seal mortality by month. Figure 9. 12 Figure 10. Grey seal reports averaged over 1990 to 2018. 12 Figure 11. Location of the porpoise, recovered to the project, killed by bottlenose dolphins in 2018. 13 List of Plates. Plate 1. Neonate bottlenose dolphin SW2018/606 near Shell island, Gwynedd. 14 Plate 2. Juvenile bottlenose dolphin SW2018/756 examined at a Bristol land-fill site. 15 Bottlenose dolphin at Broughton Bay, Gower. Plate 3. SW2018/833 15 Angel shark being collected from Saundersfoot. Plate 4. SF2018/1 18 Plate 5. Blue shark SF2018/2 at Clynnog-fawr. 19 List of Tables. Table 1. 2018 Total number of reported marine mammal strandings (Welsh Coast). 8 Table 2. 2018 Number of live cetacean strandings (Welsh Coast). 8 Table 3. 2018 Number of animals selected for post-mortem examination. 9 Table 4. Cause of death (Cetaceans). 21 Table 5. List of scientific names used in this report. 22 3 1. CRYNODEB GWEITHREDOL Caiff yr UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP - rhaglen y DU ar gyfer ymchwilio tiriadau anifeiliaid o deulu'r morfilod) ei chydlynu’n dechnegol gan Gymdeithas Söolegol Llundain (ZSL). Teulu’r Morfilod: Derbyniodd Marine Environmental Monitoring (MEM) adroddiadau am 124 o anifeiliaid o deulu'r morfil yn 2018. O’r rhain, llamidyddion (91 ohonynt) a grybwyllwyd amlaf. Cafwyd adroddiadau ynghylch anifeiliaid eraill o deulu'r morfil wedi tirio ar lannau Cymru yn 2018, gan gynnwys tri dolffin trwyn potel, deunaw dolffin cyffredin, pum dolffin amhenodol - rhesog neu gyffredin, tri morfil o rywogaeth amhenodol a phedwar dolffin rhesog. Cafwyd adroddiadau am aelod amhenodol o deulu’r morfilod, un dolffin cyffredin, tri llamhidydd a dau ddolffin rhesog a ddaeth i’r lan yn fyw. Casglwyd chwech ar hugain o greaduriaid i’w harchwilio: un dolffin trwyn potel; pedwar dolffin cyffredin; 18 llamhidydd a thri dolffin rhesog. Cafwyd un llamhidydd yn 2018 y gellid dweud ei fod ‘wedi’i ladd gan ddolffin trwyn potel’. Gorfu i’r cynllun wneud llai o gofnodi ers 2006 a gwnaeth hyn hi’n anodd cymharu tueddiadau yn y gweithgaredd hwn â rhai'r blynyddoedd cynt. Samplau: Ni chymerwyd unrhyw samplau ychwanegol yn ystod 2018. Morloi: Derbyniodd MEM adroddiadau am 73 morlo llwyd marw. Crwbanod: Derbyniodd MEM adroddiad am un crwban marw wedi tirio, sef crwban môr pendew Kemp. Ni chafwyd hanes gweld unrhyw crwban byw. Morgwn: Ni chafwyd unrhyw adroddiad yn ystod 2018 am heulforgi’n tirio. Er hynny, casglwyd un maelgi ac un morgi glas ar gyfer eu harchwilio post mortem a chofnodwyd un morgi glas arall. Ariannu: Mae’r rhaglen yn rhedeg y tu mewn i’r cytundeb presennol, a ddyfarnwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru/Defra ar y 16eg Hydref 2017, i fod mewn grym hyd y 15fed Hydref 2020. 4 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) is under the technical co-ordination of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Cetaceans: One hundred and twenty-four cetaceans were reported to Marine Environmental Monitoring in 2018. Harbour porpoise (n=91) was the most frequently reported cetacean. Other cetaceans reported stranded on the Welsh coast in 2018 included three bottlenose dolphins; 18 common dolphins; five common/striped dolphins indeterminate; three cetacean sp. indeterminate and four striped dolphins. One cetacean sp. indeterminate, one common dolphin, three harbour porpoises and two striped dolphins were reported as live-stranded. Twenty-six cetaceans were collected for examination: one bottlenose dolphin; four common dolphins; 18 harbour porpoises and three striped dolphins. One harbour porpoise ‘killed by bottlenose dolphin’ was identified in 2018. Imposed reduced effort in recording from 2006 has made trends in this activity difficult to compare with previous years. Samples: No additional samples were taken during 2018. Seals: Seventy-three dead Atlantic grey seals were reported to MEM. Turtles: One dead stranded turtle was reported to MEM, this was a Kemp’s ridley turtle. No live turtle ‘sightings’ were received. Sharks: No basking shark strandings were reported during 2018. However, one angel shark and one blue shark were recovered for a post-mortem examination with one further blue shark recorded. Funding: The programme is running within the existing contract, awarded on the 16th October 2017 by Defra/Welsh Government to run until the 15th October 2020. 5 2. INTRODUCTION In 1990, the ‘Collaborative UK Marine Mammal Strandings Project’ was initiated and part-funded by the UK Department of the Environment (now Defra). The project involves detailed pathological and other investigations of stranded marine mammal carcasses (mostly cetacean) from UK waters. It forms part of the Department's international obligations towards conservation agreements, including the "Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas" (ASCOBANS). Detailed pathological investigations of stranded marine turtles were included in 2001 and basking sharks in 2007. The project is now named the ‘Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme’ (CSIP) (see Figure 1.). Figure 1. Current technical co-ordination of the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP). Funding to ZSL/IoZ, NHM and SAC was significantly reduced through 2006/2007. Funding to MEM by the Welsh Government and the Countryside Council for Wales fortunately remained at previous levels, however reduced travelling expenses supported by Defra via ZSL/IoZ has had a knock-on effect in Wales resulting in only known ‘fresh to moderate’ carcasses that can be successfully recovered for post-mortem examination being attended. Confirmation of species of other cetacean strandings has relied on digital photographs and known reliable sources. Where animals cannot be identified 100 per cent, the Strandings Co-ordinator has attended at his own expense if within a reasonable distance. Carcasses with unconfirmed species identification generally outside this area have been entered into the database as ‘cetacean species indeterminate’. In an attempt to operate within the reduced travelling budget two chest freezers were purchased and procedures now changed to freeze carcasses. Although this practice results in loss of some information during the post-mortem examination process, carcasses can now be ‘stock-piled’ and transported to London in larger numbers thus reducing the number of journeys per year. 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS A single contact number for the whole of the UK has been maintained. The UK number is a free- phone number 0800 6520333 and a stepped menu system takes the caller through whether the stranding is alive or dead and directs them to the correct organisation and the correct strandings co- 6 ordinator for the appropriate country. A network of volunteers, rangers, wardens, coastal officers, Harbour Masters etc. has been maintained who can be contacted by the Strandings Co-ordinator to confirm the stranding, assess its condition and secure the animal from the effects of the tide, predation etc. until it can be dealt with. In recent years the use of digital cameras has vastly improved the quality of reporting as species, sex, and condition of carcass can be ascertained from the e-mailed image. A dedicated email address to receive digital photographs has been created [email protected] It is hoped this will reduce the number of ‘cetacean species indeterminate’ recorded in the database. The following criteria are applied: - 3.1 Live Animals (Condition code 1)1 In 1994 the Marine Animal Rescue Coalition (MARC) was formed. This consists of all the major animal welfare and conservation bodies involved with marine mammals in the UK. It has been agreed that in the case of a live stranding the first point of call would be the RSPCA as they support a manned 24-hour emergency phone. The RSPCA would then contact the relevant organisations, Marine Environmental Monitoring etc. 3.2 Dead Animals (Condition code 2a extremely fresh as if just died) 1 (Condition code 2b slight decomposition)1 (Condition code 3 moderate decomposition)1 The animal is retrieved using a 4-wheel drive vehicle and trailer. Health and safety precautions are followed with the animal being handled only with gloved hands. The carcass is usually stored frozen until delivery for post-mortem examination2. Live stranded animals that die or are euthanased may be transported to London for immediate post-mortem examination, to avoid loss of information through the freeze-thaw process. (Condition code 4 advanced decomposition)1 (Condition code 5 mummified carcass)1 Species identified, basic measurements taken if possible.