CONSERVATION ISSUES - MAY 2005

Police are hunting the killers of porpoises that were shot and battered to death in a spate of attacks along the coast of north east England. In the three weeks up to April 15th 2005 the corpses of more than 30 porpoises were found on beaches stretching from Northumberland to Lincolnshire. Two were shot in the head, at least one with a high powered rifle. The head injuries on a number of other porpoises suggest that they were beaten to death by someone wielding a heavy implement. Police believe that the killers may be fishermen who accidentally caught the live porpoises in their nets, before taking brutal measures to be rid of them.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, cetaceans - porpoises, dolphins and whales - are protected species. Anyone found guilty of their ill-treatment faces a six-month prison sentence. The task of hunting down the culprits has fallen to Sgt Chris Hine, a wildlife crime officer for Humberside Police. Our local Wildlife Crimes Officer, Nevin Hunter, indicated that if a rifle was used they would be able to trace it.

Since the 14th century reign of Edward II , porpoises - along with dolphins, whales and sturgeon - have been designated as Fishes Royal. As such they are the responsibility of the Crown, and in theory the disposal of any dead porpoise found on the shore is a matter for the government appointed Receiver of Wreck. In practice, the stench created by their decomposing bodies is so unpleasant that coastal dwellers often take matters into their own hands, and the local councils in Cornwall often carry out the work.

A watch officer for HM Coastguard, which is notified of any dead cetacean on Britain beaches, said that in a typical year the agency would be told of between six and ten corpses along that stretch of coast, and to be landed with more than 30 within three weeks was unprecedented, and the suggestion that a significant proportion of them had been deliberately killed by man was baffling .”I want to know why this is happening”, he said. “The killings have been reported across hundreds of miles of coastline, which suggests some sort of co-ordination.    

Other marine wildlife is also in danger from man, not necessarily from deliberate action, but from carelessness in allowing our waste products to contaminate the marine environment. The major part of rubbish found on our beaches is fishing related, like pieces of rope and discarded broken nets. Unfortunately discarded net goes on catching creatures in the sea, creating unnecessary carnage, not only of fish and crabs etc. but also birds and even bigger creatures like porpoises and seals. Local evidence of this was seen at Mutton Cove recently when a young seal was found with a tight restriction around it’s neck, probably discarded net which was examined by the seal when it was a pup and became entangled around its neck, and as the pup grew it is now cutting into its flesh.  Another seal on the same beach had quite a severe injury on the side of it’s head, which may have been the result of coming off worse in a fight, but more likely it was prop damage from a boat. The attached photographs are by courtesy of Ray Reed, Paragon Photography of Tuckingmill.

There were probably 2 pods of Bottlenose Dolphins around Cornwall during April,, for there was a pod of 6 to 8 off Porthleven on 1st and a large pod of 30 or more in Newquay bay on the 3rd, and there was a pod off St Ives and Newquay on the 23rd and 24th and another pod in Mounts Bay on the 25th and 26th. A small pod was also seen off Cudden Point on 11th.  Of 5 other reports of unidentified dolphins 4 were probably Bottlenose but one report of 80 or more half way between the Scillies and Land’s End were more likely to have been Common Dolphins. There were 2 positive reports of Commons, just 2 off St Ives and 30 to 40 off Tater du. Harbour Porpoises were seen off Penzance, Downderry and Porthgwarra  and Grey Seals were seen at 4 different locations. Single Basking Sharks were seen off Penzance Harbour, The Minack Theatre and Halzaphron and a group of 3 off Cadgwith.

There were 9 dead Common Dolphins as well as 4 unidentified dolphins found on Cornish beaches in April. Other carcasses  stranded were 2 Harbour Porpoises, 3 Grey Seals and a Basking Shark.  Birds were also found, 5 Guillemots and a Puffin and also Blue Jellyfish and Common Cuttlefish.

Conservation Officer Raymond Dennis

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