The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust hold the longest time series of bottlenose dolphin images, collected from sightings in the Hebrides since 2000. Despite this, the data has not been updated or published for nearly a decade.

Through this funded project, the Trust will now collate recent and historic photographs and sightings submitted through its community sightings network, Whale Track, to produce a photo-identification catalogue for bottlenose dolphins on the west coast of Scotland over 25 years (2000-2024).

This information is essential to inform suitable management measures for conservation as it shows how the animals are utilising specific areas. The project will ensure that the best available and up-to-date information collected by the local community is publicly accessible and effectively disseminated to stakeholders and decision-makers. This understudied population is effectively protected from increasing human activity and developments in the Scottish seas.

Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust Executive Director Alison Lomax said, “The Inner Hebridean Community of bottlenose dolphins are a small, wide-ranging pod regularly seen near shore in western Scotland. Photographs are a powerful tool for strengthening our understanding of bottlenose dolphin movements and the threats they face – providing vital evidence for effective conservation. This project will create a catalogue of individually identifiable bottlenose dolphins which community members have photographed over the past quarter century. The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust is delighted that the RSE is supporting the community-led efforts to monitor and protect this lesser-known pod of bottlenose dolphins.”