On the 2nd of June 2009 Risso’s dolphins were photographed by wildlife boat-operator, Hannah Jones, from Marine Discovery Penzance in the English Channel, Mounts Bay (Cornwall). These photographs, when carefully studied by researchers later, revealed a match with one of the Risso’s dolphins previously photographed off Bardsey Island, Cardigan Bay, Wales in 2006 by WDCS biologist Rob Lott, approximately 172 nautical miles further North within the Irish Sea.
“This is a fortuitous, unique and very interesting discovery, said Mark Simmonds, International Director of Science at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. “Because of their typically inaccessible habits, relatively little is known about the biology or behaviour of this species and it is very interesting to know that those seen off Cornwall may be same group as those seen in Wales.
“Few facts are known about the population structure and sizes of this species which gives it a real air of mystery and highlights the need to do more research and take particular care to protect those places which the Risso’s is known to regularly frequent, like parts of Cardigan Bay.”
WDCS research over the last ten years (which has included funding from Countryside Council for Wales and the BBC Wildlife Trust) has confirmed that the waters around Bardsey Island in the north of the Bay regularly host breeding schools of Risso’s dolphins, with calves being regularly spotted.
The photo-identification study for Risso’s dolphins was initiated in 1999 and to date a total of 133 Risso’s dolphins have been catalogued.
A Risso’s dolphin photographed by WDCS researchers three years ago has been caught on camera again three years later and 172 nautical miles away from its original home, the first time a Risso’s dolphin from the Irish Sea has been subsequently seen elsewhere.