WDCS head of policy in Scotland, Sarah Dolman was on hand to help the BBC show’s report on the future of the most famous dolphins in the UK, which is now threatened by government announcements that oil and gas exploration and production is likely to go ahead within the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) originally set up to protect them.
The bottlenose dolphins of the Firth are a small, isolated and vulnerable population, which is why a sanctuary was established in the
WDCS patron,
Sarah Dolman, who features in the BBC programme explains just how important it is that these issues are raised.
“The SAC was set up under European law to help protect the internationally important populations of bottlenose dolphins in the
The One Show filming took place at three sites; WDCS’s Wildlife Centre at Spey Bay, Scotland, where the film crew listened to the underwater sounds of the Moray Firth in our new visitor exhibition (interactive computer equipment plays and visualises the important underwater world of the dolphins and of intensely noisy seismic activity); Chanonry Point, where some lively dolphin feeding was captured on film from the shore with hundreds of spectators watching on; And at Cromarty, where the presenter, Mike Dilger and the One Show film crew went out on a marine wildlife watching boat and listened, using hydrophones, to the dolphins calling to each other underwater.
“The underwater sounds recorded by the One Show team demonstrate just how important acoustic communication is for dolphins. The dolphins were very vocal, almost as if they knew they were being filmed for national TV, Dolman added. “I’m sure that the whole experience will stay with the film crew for some time to come. We even spotted a new born dolphin! The young dolphin calf is completely dependant on its mum and will rely on a strong acoustic bond for many years in the future. The exercise highlights that these animals are so dependant on their communication sense, in the murky underwater world, where their vision is limited. Noisy and intense oil and gas exploration could irretrievably harm this dolphin population.”
WDCS calls on the
We encourage people to act now to keep the dolphins safe. You can write to the Minister for Marine and Natural Environment, Mr Huw Irranca-Davies MP, and let Mr Irranca-Davies know that you want your say on this issue – a public consultation on the final Appropriate Assessments that the
If you missed the show then you can catch it again for a limited time on BBC’s iplayer – http://bbc.co.uk/i/n5pbq/