CONSERVATIONISTS have learnt more about the incredible marine life that exists right on our doorstep after receiving a record number of sightings this year.
While lockdown undoubtedly had its challenges, more people took the time to rediscover nature and social media has been flooded with videos and photographs of dolphins taken by lucky snappers.
Many of the sightings were reported to Sussex Dolphin Project, an organisation that monitors and researches dolphins in our waters.
Sighting this year came from a group of sea swimmers who were lucky enough to be joined by two dolphins near Brighton Palace Pier in September.
In August, a playful pod of dolphins accompanied people on a boat tour around Seven Sisters.
Earlier this year, the charity changed its name from the Brighton Dolphin Project to better reflect the wealth of wildlife living in the waters off Sussex.
Thea Taylor, lead at the project, said the project had seen an increase in sightings from right across the county.
She said: “The main reason we did that was to spread the awareness. We used to have a lot of people getting in touch before unsure if we were interested in their sighting because it was outside of Brighton, so we really wanted to fix that.
“We do get a massive spike in sightings around Brighton, which is fantastic, but we are just trying to work out if that’s because of our old name.
“But this year we’ve had a lot more sightings from right across the coast so it’s definitely working.”
The project received significant more sightings this year than it did in 2020.
Thea said she is particularly fond of a dolphin called “floppy fin”, who the team have spotted several times this year.
She said: “We’ve had more sightings closer in shore. We’ve had dolphins swimming between Brighton and Hove alongside the buoys which is really cool.
“We’ve had some lone dolphin sightings and one who we have called ‘floppy fin’
“He does sometimes interact with a pod, but he can be seen solitary sometimes which is interesting.
“We’re starting to develop more in terms of behavioural understanding of these animals.”
The project hopes to increase its engagement next year by running more of its educational wildlife cruises.
This year, the organisation started running boat tours from Brighton and Newhaven after cancelling all trips during the height of the pandemic.
Thea said the response was “incredible” with tickets selling out in less than two days.
She said: “I think Covid has made people want to get out in nature a bit more and really get to know the area around them.
“So many people have spoke to us about the benefits of being able to go down to the beach, just for the physical and mental health benefits.
“So being able to take people out on the water and talk about our dolphins and teach them about all the amazing marine life that’s out there is fantastic.”
If would like to report a sighting, contact info@sussexdolphinproject.org.
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