Marine Wildlife

Wild Bottlenose Dolphin Welfare UK

Bottlenose dolphins in UK coastal waters face welfare threats from boat disturbance, fishing gear entanglement, pollution, and prey depletion.

Key Facts

The Moray Firth population of bottlenose dolphins is one of the UK's best-studied cetacean communities
Individual dolphins are identifiable by fin shape enabling lifetime welfare tracking
Boat approach rates in tourist hotspots can exceed recommended guidelines significantly
Entanglement in creel pot lines causes limb loss and drowning
PCB and microplastic contamination in coastal dolphins is among the highest recorded globally

Welfare Considerations

Bottlenose dolphins in UK waters face chronic low-level welfare harms from boat disturbance, pollution, and prey depletion, alongside acute harms from entanglement. Boat harassment during nursing and foraging disrupts critical behaviours and causes measurable stress responses. Contamination with persistent organic pollutants suppresses immunity and reproductive success.

What You Can Do

Follow WISE and WiSe dolphin watching guidelines when on the water
Report injured or entangled dolphins to British Divers Marine Life Rescue
Support the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society advocacy work
Reduce plastic use to decrease microplastic load entering coastal waters
Donate to population monitoring research that tracks individual dolphin welfare