Close eye to be kept on Jersey's marine life

Thursday 07 August 2014

Monthly surveys of dolphins, whales and seabirds around Jersey are being started by a group of marine life enthusiasts. Co-ordinated by Bob Tompkins, the group will record its observations from the bridge of one of Condor's ferries, as they travel between Jersey, Guernsey and St. Malo.

Bob and Jill Tompkins are now fully trained surveyors for a UK charity called Marine Life, and this weekend they made their first trip to look for dolphins, whales and seabirds from the Condor Rapide. They spotted a large group of up to 150 Manx Shearwater birds about 6km to the south of the Island. It's thought this particular species may be looking for nesting sites along the island's north coast.

They also saw six Balearic Shearwaters, which are becoming increasingly rare.  

Mr Tompkins, who is also a member of the Marine Biology section of the Société Jersiaise, co-ordinates a group of four local surveyors who have been trained to make their observations by Marine Life, and so increase the knowledge of whales, dolphins and seabirds in our waters. That data is then available for scientists to study. They are now looking for another two people to get trained up, so that monthly observations can be done:

"Until recently it wasn't believed that large whales like hump-backed whales and sperm whales would be seen around local waters, but we know now that's far from the truth, and they are here. It's through the data being collected by Marine Life, and other sources, that this knowledge-base is increasing, and it'll help us understand the health of the population,  what threats they are coming under,and why we are seeing different species; whether it is global warming or a change in marine habitat, it is gaining a much bigger picture of marine life, and we hope that will help in protecting these species". 

Marine Life has been going since 1995, and the route between Jersey / Guernsey / St Malo is the 18th that the group now has access to, and records data for, which then goes into a global data-bank for anyone interested in whales, dolphins and sea birds.