On the 22nd October, the final ferry survey of 2025 with our longstanding partner Isles of Scilly Travel departed from Penzance for a return crossing to St Mary's. Here is a summary of our surveys undertaken by our dedicated Marine Mammal Surveyors on board the Scillonian III this year:
- 599 individual animals were recorded in 2025. This is more than 250 more animals seen in 2024 (347), but still less than in 2023 (645), highlighting the importance of the year on year, continued monitoring by ORCA, with trends and shifts in distribution being reported on in real-time which is critically important for cetacean conservation
- 8 different marine species seen, including whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and fish - this is one more species than in 2024
- A distance of 1,727 km was travelled whilst surveying
- 14 surveys were conducted between March and October
- 42 ORCA volunteer Marine Mammal Surveyors, many of which were from the local area conducted these important surveys
- Common dolphins were the species recorded most frequently with 450 individuals recorded. This is almost double the number seen compared to 2024 (262 animals) and could suggest a shift in distribution. Common dolphins were seen throughout the year and throughout the length of the route, with some large aggregations of feeding dolphins with tuna and diving birds
- Risso's dolphin sightings remained high again this year compared to the long term pattern with 11 animals seen in 2025. Research is mounting to suggest that warming oceans have altered the life cycles and distribution of some of their prey species in the English Channel and Western Approaches which could explain a change in occurrence, but further research will say for sure
- Survey highlights include 137 individual animals being recorded on a single survey in August, and in September 6 different species were recorded on a single crossing (harbour porpoise, common dolphin, Risso's dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, Grey seal and tuna)
A massive thank you all of our dedicated Marine Mammal Surveyors who took part in surveys from Penzance to St Mary's during 2025!
We are busy planning for the 2026 survey season and applications for our ferry surveys will be open in the New Year. As always, we will continue to keep you updated on the progress of this via email and the Surveyor Network News Page.