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Lyme Bay:

an example of an

important area for

mobile species

Nigel Symes & Tom Brereton

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Survey effort –

 1km resolution

Central Lyme Bay: a hotspot for mobile mega-

vertebrate species?

More effort

Less effort

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Key feature White-beaked Dolphin

•  Most southerly distributed ‘population’ in Europe 

•  Up to 200 animals in a single group (c1% Europe popn.)•  Photo-id suggests ~200 animals present

•  Calving and breeding area

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Species distribution maps - White-beaked Dolphin

Public sightingsMARINElife surveys

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~ 70 individuals from 20 groups

29% re-sighted

97% of recaptures in a 500km2 ‘hotspot’ area 

White-beaked Dolphin Photo-id shows high site fidelity

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August 2007 October 2009

July 2012 September 2012

Eg - same individual re-sighted over 6 years, mostly within 20km

White-beaked Dolphin Photo-id shows high site fidelity

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Species distribution maps Harbour Porpoise

Public sightings

MARINElife surveys

More effort

Less effort

Annex 2 species – EU Species and Habitats Directive (no UK SACs designated to date)

Year-round presence Harbour Porpoise:

- upto 22 animals present

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Foraging Balearic Shearwaters

IUCN Critically Endangered species <2,000 pairs

- non-breeding range moving north; Channel becoming important

- Aggregations of up to a dozen birds east of Berry Head

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Supporting cast – additional important features

High densities of Guillemots

& Razorbills in winter

Razorbills - ~4,000 1994 & 2009

Guillemots - ~16,000 1994 & 2009

Large numbers of Manx Shearwater

& Gannets

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Regular occurrence range of other mega-vertebrates

Occasional large nursery groups of ‘offshore’

Bottlenose Dolphins

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Differences in mobility between

White-beaked & Bottlenose Dolphins 

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Discussion...Criteria for assessing the importance of areas for

mobile species in coastal in offshore situations

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