White-beaked dolphins are fast, and acrobatic swimmers. They are known to be highly active, breaching and frequently and bow-riding when possible. They often travel in pods of between five and fifty individuals, but it is not unusual to see several hundred, or even thousands, of animals traveling together. White-beaked dolphins also like the company of other species of whale and dolphin. They may form mixed groups with other dolphin species and have been observed feeding with orcas, humpback and fin whales.
White-beaked dolphins feed on a wide variety of species including small pelagic schooling fish, such as sandeels, as well as demersal species (e.g. cod, haddock, hake, whiting) as well as squid and crustaceans.
White-beaked dolphins inhabit continental shelf, shelf edge and slope waters of cold temperate and sub-polar waters of the north Atlantic Ocean. They can be found at the edges of the Arctic pack ice. Around the UK, seasonal differences in strandings suggest that distribution of White-beaked dolphins is linked to sea temperatures around the British coast. The species distribution may be shifting with changing sea temperatures in relation to climate change. In Scotland, we see them around the Hebrides and the North West, East coast and the Northern Isles. Here they can be seen all year round with sightings peaking in the summer months.
They can be identified by their white markings on the side of their bodies and the saddle patch behind their tall, along with their hooked black dorsal fins and pointed pectoral fins. Not all individuals have a white beak, and this can range from white, grey to black.
Image: CC-BY-2.0 Brian Gratwicke
Action Needed
- Press for the reconsideration of White-beaked dolphins as a Priority Marine Feature (PMF) in the Scottish Marine Protected Areas (MPA) network.
- Consider conservation policies and measures for White-beaked dolphin within Marine Scotland’s Marine Nature Conservation Strategy (Marine Scotland, 2011).
- Ensure the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy is fully implemented:
- Support the protection of 30% of Scotland’s seas by 2030, especially the implementation of effective management measures.
- Support increases to the number of sites in Scotland’s offshore and inshore MPA network with specific fisheries management measures to reduce the risk of bycatch and depletion of prey species.
- Support investment in nature through the implementation of Biodiversity Investment Plan
- Support research efforts to better understand white-beaked dolphin distribution and habitat use, behaviour and threats (i.e. underwater noise, entanglement, climate change).
- Support the implementation of the Dolphin and Porpoise Conservation strategy.
Threats
Climate change is pushing white-beaked dolphins north with warming seas. Rapid increases in coastal and offshore developments, underwater noise pollution and prey depletion from fishing, hunting in the Faroe Islands, and lack of site-based protection are all additional threats. Stranded animals have been recorded with high toxin levels that have been known to effect reproductive success and health.
MSP Nature Champion
