Harbour Porpoise - RIP

yup

stuck again

it keeps on happening on this journey

bummerinnit!

the part time nature of the journey means that it can take me months to get to the point where I think that I have explored enough of an area before moving on

and I have not yet got up as far as York nor spent as much time on spurn head as I had hoped

the weather has been pretty rubbish this winter

I have been looking at the North sea coast coast on google earth and the area around Holy island looks partivcularly lovely

then up to Scotland

of course..... cash flow always has an impact on my sailing adventures and who knows what we have coming at us

the fuel costs of my little adventure are getting really stupid now.
 
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awol said:
On the Clyde they are quite often found where tides meet or where sea birds are congregated. I would hazard I see them more often than seals. Sometimes worry that they may take my mackerel line but so far, like the boat, they have ignored it.
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Very true, also found where there are pinnacales on the clyde sea bed and food gets pushed to the surface when the tide turns. Unsurprisingy this coincides with the places mackrel shoal.

As for seals, theres one that comes into clyde marina and sneaks up on the unsuspecting. You can imagine the fright when I heard a watery snort and turned round to see a pair of beady eyes staring back at me from the water only about 10 feet away, then, just behind the wife I noticed a really cute wee seal. The seal's been seen numerous times in the marina during the winter the wife none.
 
In 7 seasons of regular sailing in the Solent, I have only ever seen one Harbour Porpoise, coming out of Southampton Water as I was going back up from the Central Solent to the Hamble. Occasionally see a seal hauled out on the Hamble spit and quite often in Chichester Harbour.
 
south coast populations gone

RobBrown said:
In 7 seasons of regular sailing in the Solent, I have only ever seen one Harbour Porpoise, coming out of Southampton Water as I was going back up from the Central Solent to the Hamble. Occasionally see a seal hauled out on the Hamble spit and quite often in Chichester Harbour.
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the data in the links at the top show that the porpoises have pretty much gone from the south coast

still healthy populations up the north sea

the first one I saw on this journey was on the Blackwater - which fits with the stats in the links

I also saw seals working Pyefleet on the colne, on the deben, Ore, Backwaters and loads around the wash

I have only seen one seal on the Humber so far.

every siting raises my spirits

Dylan
 
Here on the River Dart 'Danny the dolphin' is a regular winter visitor along with 'Sammy' the seal! We have had both of them surface just at the back of the boat this winter. Further up the Dart you can usually be guaranteed to find a trio of seals lounging on one of the oyster rafts in the late afternoon.
I know what you mean Dylan about them raising the spirits, even after literally hundreds of sightings we still get really excited when we spy them alongside the boat.

Not so keen on whales though, they make the boat seem very fragile....

Coming across the Atlantic last year I was rudely awakened by a squeaking sound down below, thought the steering cable had come off and leapt skyward to interrogate the other half only to realise we were surrounded by a pod of over 20 pilot whales, mostly mothers and calves. There was one big b....er though who at about 20 feet was swimming only 3 feet from the side of the boat, could have leant down and touched him. They stayed with us for about three hours and all the time you could hear them 'talking' when you were below deck, couldn't hear them on the surface.Quite an amazing night as we were sailing beautifully at around 6 knots on a perfect sea.
 
Dylan, glad you enjoy seeing them. Its nice and somewhat comforting to know they are arround.

I allways enjoy a sighting of wild life.

Im fortunate enought to live and sail in an area of abundant wildlife (so far)
I see harbour porpoise quite often. the local aquarium experts asure me they are nevere in pods but just pairs Ive seen them frequently in groups.
They seam to be smsrt enough to keep away from propellors but I supose a few are hit from time to time.
Sadly the most likly cause of death is a bacterial infection. the local cetations even in this wild location have among the most toxins in thier blood of all animals.
a it reportedly affects thier imune system.
Hope fully they will still be around for my granchildren to enjoy.
 
The only harbour porpoise I've ever seen was in port Stanley.

I've seen more dolphins than I care to count. Biscay and the sea around the Azores is almost boiling with them.

If you want seals then the fal estuary is a good place to start. There's often a few sunbathing on black rock at low tide.
 
LittleShip said:
Never seen dolphins in Strangford but once saw terrified seals being chased but a Killer Whale. Boy can seals move when they need too ;)

Tom.
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I've never seen a killer whale in Strangford Lough. That must have been some sight!

When I was studying for my exams, I used to take my books out on the boat and moor off an island with a seal colony. I would occasionally swim with them but they were very shy.

I have seen two octopus though!
 
More often than not I come across porpoises in the Clyde, especially in the Kyles in winter where the flatter water makes them easier to see.
Quite distinct in their behaviour from dolphins which will bow-ride the boat when they get the chance. Porpoises get on with their fishing.
Dolphins tend to be more territorial. One in particular was a regular sight hanging around the Portencross bouy. Another (or maybe the same one on his holidays) made appearances every time I went round Ardlamont Point into or out of Loch Fyne. There is a resident pod at the mouth of Campbeltown Loch. I suspect the lone ones seen further North are adolecent males from this group.
I have only seen one whale... a Sei which was swimming South as I was going North past Kilchattan Bay on Bute. I mistook him for a porpoise because of his ridiculously small dorsal fin which sat aft. The next time he breached I saw the bulk of his body.
There are numerous seal colonies but numbers have declined since the white fish markets in the South Firth closed down. Some from Lady Isle off Troon still come up the rivers when the salmon are running.
A couple of months ago I watched a seal being chased down the River Ayr by a dog otter, this in the town centre within yards of heavy traffic.
And I was on the way to the pub, not coming back.
 
Good stuff chaps

you northerners do get the best wildlife

I am really looking forward to exploring your patch

(and interpreting your history from a Southerners point of view)




Gordon

you said this

"but numbers have declined since the white fish markets in the South Firth closed down"

what was the connection between the two?

D
 
dylanwinter said:
"but numbers have declined since the white fish markets in the South Firth closed down"

what was the connection between the two?

D
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Because the bulk of the seals' diet came from by-catch and the fish offal thrown overboard from the trawlers which worked far beyond the seals' range.
When the fleet was landing at Ayr fish market the river was full of seals.
Girvan and Ayr fish landings have been stopped for years and Troon now only lands prawns.
 
dylanwinter said:
One of the pleasures of my low tides sails on the Humber has been watching a pair of Harbour Porpoises working.
...
This week I saw one of them dead along the shore about two miles above Trent falls. Half of its head was missing. I have no idea if that was the gulls feeding on an already dead body or if the gash had been made by a prop.
of course it may have died of natural causes as they only live for about 12 years.
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Dolphins kill them sometimes, but it's no accident, they do it on porpoise....

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/bizarre/news-bottle-nosed-dolphins-only-animal-kills-fun
 
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