At a glance
Moray Firth dolphins face many threats. Years of over-fishing means that it’s harder for them to find food. Industrial and recreational vessels cause disturbance and noise pollution, and dolphins are at risk of drowning in fishing nets.  Chemical pollution also threatens the habitat as a whole.

Other threats
Another key concern is that not many people are aware that dolphins live around the UK and need our help to survive. This low awareness - and resulting lack of legislation and other protection measures - heightens the dolphins’ vulnerability.

‘The first large mammal thought to have become extinct in recent years is a dolphin – the Yangtze river dolphin.’

What are charities doing to help?
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) is working to reduce the threats to the dolphins and their habitat.  Research plays a big part in planning future protection measures.  Projects carried out by the WDCS include photo-identification and acoustic studies to help understand the dolphin’s population and social structure. The results will identify how the Special Area of Conservation should be extended, and help assess the impacts of proposed offshore developments.

More about the WDCS
The WDCS also carries out projects that attempt to get the whole community involved in conservation efforts.  Events at the two WDCSWildlife Centres on the shores of the Firth bring the world of whales and dolphins alive for locals and visitors alike.  Working with school children ensures that the next generation understands and has access to their natural heritage.

What can I do?

• Use your consumer power to ask fish retailers and restaurateurs if the fish they sell is from a certified fishery, which will mean that it comes from an ecologically sustainable fishery.
• If you don’t want to contribute to the decline in fish stocks generally, check which fish you can eat (eg line-caught mackerel from Cornwall, line-caught herring from the North Sea), and those you shouldn’t eat (Atlantic cod) by visiting Fishonline.
• Always dispose of all rubbish responsibly. Even rubbish thrown away on land can find its way to the sea. Dolphins can die if they mistake it for prey.
• You can also help by donating to the BBC Wildlife Fund.

 Did you know?

• Moray Firth dolphins are known to kill harbour porpoises.
• Dolphins are capable of attacking and driving off much larger sharks.
• Dolphins often leap clear out of the sea when travelling at speed because they are able to travel faster by leaping out of the water.
• Whales and dolphins don’t sleep in the way humans do. It is thought that they catnap just below the surface, going into a semi-conscious state with half the brain asleep and the other half awake, keeping them aware of danger.
• Dolphins, porpoises and toothed whales use echolocation as a means of communicating and hunting. This enables them to build up a ‘picture’ of their underwater surroundings.