#38 Bottlenose Dolphin by Stuart Baines
Meet Stuart Baines, Yorkshire regional coordinator for Sea Watch Foundation!
Stuart Baines was born and bred in Scarborough. He has always had an interest in Yorkshire’s coastal wildlife and has over the last thirteen years developed a strong passion for the study and conservation of marine mammals that visit and live in the seas of his hometown, such as dolphins, whales and porpoises. Stuart is a regional coordinator representing the national cetacean charity Sea Watch, and also has links with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts on a number of cetacean projects and the Yorkshire based Wild Eye project. Stuart is the editor of the popular Scarborough Porpoise Facebook page. Stuart can be contacted through his Facebook page or by email at scarboroughporpoise@btinternet.com.
Stuart’s chosen species is the Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus. Bottlenose Dolphins generally have a dark grey back and lighter grey lower flanks grading to white on the. Calves are significantly lighter grey in colour, gradually darkening over the first years of life. Bottlenose adults are huge, reaching 3 – 4 metres in length. They have a robust head with distinct short beak, often white-tipped on lower jaw, and a tall, slender, sickle-shaped dorsal fin.
Bottlenose Dolphin have been recorded off the Yorkshire coast for many years, but the last four years leading up until the end of 2022 have seen graduated and very significant increases in records of this cetacean species. From 2008-2018 the typical number of records of Bottlenose Dolphin off our coastline was 3 – 4 per year. After a significant increase of records in 2019 to 47, this trend continued over the subsequent three years. In 2022, 303 records occurred - the attached graph shows this trend.
Until the winter of 2020/2021 there had always been an absence of Bottlenose between mid-November until late February each year, however the winter of 2021/2022 saw a recorded sighting each month through the winter months, albeit only a single sighting in December. The winter of 2022-2023 saw this increase continue, with 4 records in December and a significant increase in records in January and February with 36 and 27 sightings respectively – this is compared to 3 sightings in January and 8 in February during the same months the previous year.
Until some thirty years ago, the North Sea population of Bottlenose Dolphin primarily occupied the seas off north-east Scotland, principally the area from as far north as John O’Groats to as far south as approximately the mouth of the Tay river. In the intervening period of time, they have gradually expanded their territory in a southerly direction and have become common off Northumberland and Cleveland, with occasional foraging trips further south off the Yorkshire coast. It is not known for certain why the Bottlenose are expanding their range, but it is most likely that it is a combination of an increasing population and the availability of food further north and off Yorkshire - Bottlenose Dolphin have a diverse range of prey fish, consuming anything from Salmon or Ling down to Herring or Sprat.
Graph showing the number of Bottlenose Dolphin records in Yorkshire from 2018 - 2022.
Bottlenose Dolphin frequently behave in a boisterous playful or aggressive manner between themselves and this has resulted in many of their dorsal fins having distinctive notches or marks. This has enabled tracking of a number of individuals as they have expanded their range south. Individual dolphins that were first identified and were known to have spent significant periods of time in the Moray Firth, for example, have now moved south and been positively identified off Northumberland and Yorkshire. One such dolphin is #116 Runny Paint, a female who was first catalogued in 1989 by the Lighthouse Field Station, Aberdeen, and seen regularly there until 2000. Tracking has been possible through a joint effort by St Andrew’s and Aberdeen University who have produced and maintained a North Sea Bottlenose Dolphin identification catalogue, and invite any photographs of Bottlenose Dolphin seen off Yorkshire be sent to them. So far, 35 Bottlenose Dolphin photographed off Yorkshire have been confirmed as dolphins present on the North Sea catalogue.
The expansion off Bottlenose Dolphin into Yorkshire seas may also have an impact on species already occupying our waters, in particular Harbour Porpoise. This smaller species of cetacean has been observed being attacked, with a degree of resulting mortality, by Bottlenose Dolphin in areas where this latter species is present in large numbers, and this is very likely to be evidenced in the sea off Yorkshire in due course.
There are a number of possible cetacean viewing locations down the Yorkshire Coast from Cowbar at Staithes and Whitby in the north to Scarborough Marine Drive, Long Nab Burniston, Filey Brigg Bempton, and Flamborough Head to the south. Generally, a headland location is the most likely to result in a sighting. You need to be aware that most of these locations are cliff-top, so suitable footwear and all terrain clothing are essential, as is awareness of potentially dangerous of cliff top situations. Scarborough Marine Drive is the recommended site if the potential dangers of a cliff top path are to be avoided. Cloudy, still days can often be best for spotting, reducing white-caps and glare on the water. Look for splashes and disturbances on the surface of the water, and keep an eye out for any seabird activity – they will sometimes follow dolphins!
Recording and monitoring
Sightings of Bottlenose Dolphin, and other cetaceans, can be submitted to Sea Watch Foundation: https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/recording-and-submitting-sightings/.
Acknowledgements and further information
NEYEDC would like to thank Stuart for his time and expertise in helping to create this blog.