Ramsey Sound Issues

5 or 6 common dolphins (including at least 1 calf) making their way up Ramsey Sound this morning at around 10:00. A rare sighting so close to the island. They were respectfully watched by 3 of the local tour boats, including our island passengers and provided a really good start to the day for these visitors.

Interesting to note comments below on boat behaviour and how perceptions can differ. From a seabird and seal viewpoint I have had little to complain about during the 5 years I have been here. The majority of the boat operators display very good behaviour in connection with these aspects of the code and indeed are good ambassadors for it. Many a time an operator has spoken to a kayaker about to haul out on a beach full of seal pups and saved me the job of shouting from the cliff top at them. The majority of the operators do a good job of “policing” the area during these sensitive parts of the season and, in contrast to a comment below, set a good example to visiting private vessel owners. I should also point out that the majority of kayakers are well behaved and respectful of the Code too.

As ever at this time of year, we will be monitoring boat and kayak behaviour around our pupping beaches and we will also monitor boat behaviour around slack water in the new highly sensitive area for porpoise around the Bitches. All our observations (good and bad) will be reported to Tom Luddington.

I am due to meet with some of the boat owners soon for our annual review so will pass on concerns raised regarding the porpoise situation.