The UK has had in excess of 18 solitary cetaceans around our coastline with records going back to the 1960s, and in 2018 a male bottlenose dolphin appeared around the shoreline of Dorset, which locals have nicknamed Danny.
In October 2019, Danny was successfully freed by a local boat owner after becoming entangled in a mooring rope off Swanage Pier, however recently the dolphin had to be rescued after becoming entangled yet again, this time by a rope attached to a mooring buoy in Portland Harbour. It was fortunate that having received a call regarding Danny’s situation, the staff at the Harbour Authority were able to act quickly, locate the dolphin and successfully release him – his tail fluke now free he went off to live another day. However, there is a concern that if the dolphins’ plight on both occasions had not been discovered, he could have become exhausted and potentially drowned – and these two instances would have a sadly different ending, therefore it is vital to continue to be vigilant around ropes/buoys in areas he frequents.
Marine Connection has been monitoring the solitary cetacean phenomenon for over 20 years. When a lone dolphin or whale appears, and stays, for some time in an area it is a vital part of the protection programme that there is extensive outreach to the public and media, to help better inform those who may encounter a solitary wild cetacean in or on the water, as to what is best practice when around the animal – for the protection both of the animal in question and water users.
