Bardsey Marine Mammal Project

Bardsey Island lies at the heart of a key area for marine mammals. The surrounding waters are regularly used by harbour porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, Risso’s Dolphins, common dolphins and Minke whales.

The island is surrounded by the West Wales Marine SAC designated for harbour porpoises, and the Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau SAC for which bottlenose dolphins and grey seals are features. Grey seals are also a feature of Bardsey's National Nature Reserve designation. Risso’s dolphins are regularly seen in the area which is unusual as they are typically found offshore.

The aim of the project is to study the marine mammals in the area to provide clear information on their status, and to understand how and why they use these waters. This will inform conservation measures to better protect these important species.

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Bardsey Marine Mammal Project
Watching Grey Seals
Risso's Dolphins around Bardsey

Bardsey Marine Mammal Project is:

Increasing systematic recording of marine mammals around Bardsey Island and the Llŷn Peninsula. A Science Officer is based on the island during the summer months and a team of volunteers have been recruited and trained on the mainland. Everyone is using Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s Shorewatch citizen science methodology to build up a long-term data set and set a new standard for systematic recording in the area.   

Utilising drone technology to photograph Risso’s dolphins. Very little is known about the distribution and life cycle of these dolphins. The images collected will contribute to a catalogue of individuals identified by the unique patterns on their dorsal fins, helping to increase our understanding of this species.   

Engaging with local communities and visitors to raise awareness of the importance of the area for a range of marine mammal species, the factors impacting them, and how they can get involved in conservation efforts. 

The project is a partnership between Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory and Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau SAC with collaboration from North Wales Wildlife Trust and Whale and Dolphin Conservation. It is funded by the Nature Networks Programme and is being delivered by the Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government.

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Enlli Bardsey
SAC
WDC
North Wales Wildlife Trusts
Cymru
Heritage Fund

Shorewatch 

Shorewatch is marine charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s (WDC) citizen science programme, with a dedicated network of Shorewatch volunteers out on the coast gathering data on cetaceans. It was set up over 20 years ago by WDC and the 1000+ strong community of local Shorewatchers have now clocked up over 1 million minutes’ worth of data collection.  While WDC’s Shorewatch is currently most active in Scotland the Bardsey Marine Mammal Project has worked with WDC to bring Shorewatch to Wales.  

On mainland Llŷn we currently have three Shorewatch sites:

  • Porthdinllaen, Morfa Nefyn

  • Mynydd Mawr, Uwchmynydd

  • Bwlchtocyn, Abersoch

Over time we hope to build up enough watches to reliably note when cetaceans are changing how they’re using the sites, and the data gathered will be used to influence policy and ensure better protections for these incredible marine mammals. 

Get involved

Shorewatch involves a a 10-minute whale, dolphin and porpoise survey carried out by volunteers at specific sites following a defined methodology. Training is provided so that each 10-minute Shorewatch is carried out the same way and can be compared to other watches and sites.  There is also plenty of support to help you build your knowledge of marine mammals and cetacean ID – no previous experience necessary. 


Everything is completely flexible – you could do a Shorewatch once a week, once a month or once in a while. Perhaps you pass one of the sites on your regular dog walk or would like to make a day of it in the area, how you get involved and how often is completely up to you! 


We are always looking for new people to join in. If you’re interested in learning more about marine mammals and spending time at the coast send us an email for more information on how you can get involved - info@penllynarsarnau.co.uk

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