Dolpin (10) Flashcards
What is the appearance of grey seal pups at birth?
Pups are born with white hair (unlike harbour seal pups, who lose their fur in the womb).
How many humpback whale sightings were recorded in the 2024/2025 winter?
56 sightings
What was the typical number of humpback whale sightings in previous years (2023 and earlier years)?
One or two sightings
True or False: The Sussex Dolphin Project has confirmed whether the 56 humpback whale sightings in the 2024/2025 winter were of the same whale or multiple whales.
False
What is the seasonal migration pattern of humpback whales?
They feed in the Arctic during winter and migrate to warmer waters to breed.
What event in 1986 affected the global population of humpback whales?
Commercial whaling ban
What do researchers believe might be causing the increase in humpback whale sightings?
Recovering global population and changing food availability due to warming ocean
Fill in the blank: In the winter, humpback whales usually move ___________________ of Britain but some opt to swim down the ______ coast.
- South along the western coastline
- South down the east coast and through the English Channel
(Humpback whales spend their summers feeding in the sub-arctic regions_
What does Thea Taylor suggest is needed to understand the trend of humpback whale sightings?
More years of data
What three species of dolphin (and one porpoise) are frequently spotted off Brighton?
- Bottlenose dolphins
- Common dolphins
- White-beaked dolphins
- Harbour porpoises
True or False: There is a resident population of dolphins in Sussex.
False - dolphins and porpoises are recorded off the coast all year round but do not have a resident population.
- What happens to dolphin sightings during the winter period in Sussex?
- Why?
- Sightings tend to be further offshore
- Cetaceans head out to more stable conditions in deeper water in winter
How has social media been utilized by the Sussex Dolphin Project?
To share sighting footage and engage the public - social media enhances awareness campaigns about marine life.
What is the ultimate goal of the Sussex Dolphin Project?
Encourage human behaviour change towards sustainable practices
Cetaceans in the English Channel move inshore during the summer. How close can they get to the shore?
They can get to within 20m from the shoreline.
What does the SDP rely heavily on?
“We currently rely predominantly on opportunistic sightings from members of the public and the local fishing and leisure boat community. They are our eyes and ears on the water.”
The English Channel is the busiest shipping lane in the world. How many vessels pass through it each day?
500 vessels.
What are supertrawlers?
Industrial fishing vessels that quickly scoop up and process large amounts of fish directly on board
Asides from direct mortality through by-catch, what impact do supertrawlers have on dolphins and local fishing communities?
They threaten the dolphins’ food security and take fish from local small-scale fishing communities - local communities rely on these fish stocks for income.
What is the main issue with bycatch from supertrawlers?
The impact on non-target species caught as bycatch is unknown due to poor reporting processes.
- What percentage of Sussex’s kelp forests have been lost since 1987?
- What’s primarily the cause of this loss?
- Over 96%
- This loss is due to destructive trawling.
What has been the trend in voting for the Green Party in Brighton since 2017?
The Green Party hasn’t wavered below 50% of the constituency vote - this makes Brighton one of Britain’s most environmentally conscious cities.
What is needed to enable meaningful protection for dolphins and porpoises?
More information on their distribution and abundance.
What percentage of Sussex seas is covered by Marine Conservation Zones?
22%.
What do new kelp plants and sightings of marine life indicate (for context, some girl called Ruby from Sussex Underwater found a piece of kelp attached to a rock a few weeks ago)?
Evidence that removing the pressures of overfishing allows habitats to flourish.
What should residents of Sussex do with their kelp sightings?
Report them via the Sussex Kelp Recording Scheme.
In 2021, a piece of legislation passes that has allowed kelp to reappear in Sussex. How many square kilometers in Sussex did this law protect?
300km2 of Sussex marine habitat.
What does the latin name of grey seals mean?
Hook-nosed sea pig.
What is the shape of a harbour seal’s nose?
It has a V-shape!
Why do people often get into trouble with seals?
Because they think they’re in trouble while they’re hauling out.
