Boat Trips
We ran a number of successful trips from Neyland in 2011 with 6 trips going ahead from the total of 10 organised. Windy conditions in the "summer" caused the other 4 to be cancelled but all trips were fully booked and we had some excellent sightings of Common Dolphins.
Photos from the trips can be seen by clicking on the Dolphin above.
We made the BBC Wales News after the trip on 19 August when we had a close encounter with Fin Whales - see article
here
A Sea Trust survey from Newquay on 28 March was also successful with over 50 Bottlenose Dolphins seen. We also attracted some media attention for this trip - BBC coverage
here
See the Boat Trips section for details of trips in 2012.
Wildlife Observer Wales (WOW) Courses
Pembrokeshire College in partnership with Sea Trust will run a number of courses through the summer on Cetaceans, Seals, Marine Life and Seabirds. Please click
here for brief details or
here for full information from the Pembrokeshire College Website.
Sea Trust "Stena Europe" Cetacean Surveys
Sea Trust is now into its eighth year of monthly surveys aboard the Stena Europe, monitoring Whales Dolphins and Cetaceans across the Irish Sea.
Our initial aim was to complete at least one cetacean survey per month, 12 months per year in good conditions. To achieve this we needed a reliable supply of volunteers living within easy travelling distance of Fishguard, ready to go at the drop of a hat.
Also the use of a really nice ship with a great crew and all the essential cooperation and back up, the shore-side staff and management provide. Thanks Carl, for sorting this small miracle, Captain Farrell (now retired) for allowing it to happen and to current Senior Master Callum Clare! In fact we are averaging over 20, two day trips per year. Great Volunteer effort , great ship !
In 2010, including the 7 day long Dolphin-othon, we completed 45 days of survey. Year on year this adds up to over 328 days, nearly a year in total! The amount of animals sighted is also impressive with getting on for 2,150 sightings of over 10,000 individual animals, over 1,000 per year
This says a heck of a lot about our Sea Trust Volunteers dedication and Stena lines support!
A big highlight in 2010 was the publication of our bilingual Stena /Sea Trust marine wildlife guide, which is being given to passengers on the ship. Thanks to Richard Crossen and others who contributed photos to go with my text (translated by Hedydd Hughes).
Just to give a flavour of what we see and record, here’s the statistics for 2011’s phenomenally successful Dolphin-othon. Four species of Cetacean were seen with a total of 288 animals:-
158 Common Dolphins
64 Risso's Dolphins
63 Porpoises
3 Bottlenose Dolphins
Forty two volunteers and monitors took part in teams this year including, again, the lovely ladies of Fishguard’s “Jemima” ladies rowing team (pictured on the Stena Europe’s Bridge Wing.)
2011 has been an amazing year for Minke Whales with many sightings from the ferry surveys including an incredible 17 in July alone!
Apart from all this effort the crew often take records for us, particularly bridge crew; Boatswain, Alan Murrow and Quartermaster, Charlie Morley. Charlie saw his first ever whale after forty years at sea in October 2010! a highlight for him and another valuable record for us! Alan often spots something before we do! But it’s all the Stena people who over the years have become friends and have supported us, that make our work on the good old “Stena Europe” such a pleasure even on those cold dark winter days.