The Bailiwick DolFin Project

Local environmental projects open for funding

The waters around Guernsey’s Bailiwick are rich in marine life, including numerous species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. The DolFin project was set up in Guernsey in 2019 to better understand the abundance and distribution of different cetaceans within the bailiwick and collects public reports of cetacean sightings alongside conducting regular volunteer surveys at land and sea. Your support will help ensure this important work can continue.

Overview

How to Support this Project

To support this project, please contact: [email protected]

La Société Guernesiaise was founded in 1882 to encourage the study of the history, natural history, geography and geology of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the conservation of the Bailiwick’s natural environment and the preservation of its historic buildings and monuments. In many respects, La Société Guernesiaise is similar to the UK Wildlife Trusts. However, its activities extend into many other areas, including history, archaeology and astronomy.

For more information about the Bailiwick DolFin Project, visit: The Bailiwick DolFin Project - La Societe Guernesiaise

Project Information

While it has always been possible to see marine mammals in our water there has been a notable increase in cetacean sightings over recent years, with bottlenose dolphins seeing a particularly large spike in appearances.

The DolFin project was set up in Guernsey in 2019 to better understand the abundance and distribution of different cetaceans within the bailiwick and collects public reports of cetacean sightings alongside conducting regular volunteer surveys at land and sea.

Core aims of the project

To use sightings information to better understand the abundance and distribution of cetacean species in the Bailiwick, including identifying if there are patterns for their presence and locality.
With focus on bottlenose dolphins: to use sightings footage as in the development of a Fin ID database. The dorsal fins of bottlenose dolphins are unique to each individual; like fingerprints. Fin Databases can therefore identify local dolphins and can be compared with other databases compiled by regional cetacean monitoring groups.
To educate the public on the conservation these species through talks, training and awareness campaigns, ensuring that encounters with local cetaceans are respectful.

Funding needed

The cost of delivering this project each year is £xxxx, and this includes the following:

promotion of the project
volunteer management
creation of project resources, including for community engagement and education such as leaflet, ID guides etc
offerings of sessions to community groups and schools
management and submission of the data to the Guernsey Biological Records Centre
delivery of talks and training, to upskill and share information with volunteers and other interested parties.

Which UN Sustainable Development Goals does this Project contribute to?

This project helps to progress against the following UN Sustainable Development Goal:

#14 life below water

Outcomes

Increase awareness of marine mammals across the islands: as well as the pressures affecting them
Improved education: within the local community by making learning resources freely available
Connection with nature: encouraged through this project by provided the tools
Scalability: citizen scientists can collect data across vast areas and timeframes that would be impossible for professional researchers alone
Unique local insights: citizens often notice patterns or changes in their own environments that may be overlooked by external researchers
Public engagement in science: it helps demystify scientific research and fosters trust and interest in science among the public
Community building: citizen science often brings people together around shared interests
Fosters environment stewardship: people who contribute to ecological data collection are more likely to adopt environmentally responsible behaviours.