Bonn, 7 August 2008 – Following their crossing at Peniche, Portugal in June, YoD Ambassadors and open water swimmers Miguel Arrobas and Nuno Vicente of Portugal are now up to another spectacular feat.

Miguel Arrobas successfully completed his mission on the 7th of August in 9 and 1/2 hours being the first of the two Portuguese to cross the Channel with a distance of 34 km. Nuno Vicente succeeded on 15th of August. At a trial swim on August 4th a small group of Bottlenose dolphins paid a visit and upon Miguel Arrobas' arrival in France, he was greeted by Harbour porpoises.

They make use of this event’s publicity to support the Year of the Dolphin and raise awareness for the plight dolphins are facing globally, as a result of human activities and unsustainable exploitation of the seas.

The English Channel, one of the most heavily travelled shipping routes of the world, makes the problems dolphins face very palpable. Pollution is still a major issue (though action has been taken by bordering countries to improve standards), with the habitat in the English Channel being severely degraded.

The noise pollution whales and dolphins face in this part of the ocean resembles that of living right next to a heavily travelled motorway, and strandings of dolphins and whales are often interpreted as signs of disorientation or fear caused by loud noises. Ship strikes that kill whales are a further problem.

CMS, through its ASCOBANS agreement, works for the reduction of noise pollution in this part of the ocean. CMS also supports measures aimed at reducing by-catch, ship strikes, pollution and noise pollution, among others (see CMS Resolution 8.22 and 8.14).

Several species of dolphins, whales and porpoises inhabit the waters of the English Channel. Quite frequently encountered species are the Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus), and Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis).

Less often seen species are e.g. the Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), Pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps), Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), White-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), the Orca (Orcinus orca) and others. Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) may occasionally enter the channel too. Many of these species are also covered by the CMS ASCOBANS agreement. Other species occasionally occurring in these waters are the False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), the Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), the Sowerby’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens) and the Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris).

Related links:

Open Water Portugal

ASCOBANS

CMS Resolution 8.14 on Bycatch

CMS Resolution 8.22 on Adverse Uman Impacts on Cetaceans