Whales make Thames survey debut

The survey is entering its fourth year

Whales have appeared for the first time in a survey of marine mammals in the River Thames.

Results for July 2005 to June 2006 showed four Minke whales and Northern bottlenose whales were seen in waters between Teddington and the estuary.

This is the first year the mammals have appeared alongside dolphins, porpoises and seals since the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) survey began in 2004.

ZSL received a total of 103 sightings between July 2005 and June 2006.

The survey is made up of sightings from members of the public including anglers, bird watchers, pub staff working along the river, rowing club members and tourists.

MAMMAL SIGHTINGS '05 - '06 Bottlenose dolphin - 8 Harbour porpoise - 37 Common seal - 11 Grey seal - 19 Seal (unknown) - 19 Northern bottlenose whale - 3 Minke whale - 1 Strandings/dead (porpoise) - 6

Dolphins were spotted near Connoys Wharf, the Isle of Dogs and between Hammersmith and Putney Bridges, porpoises were seen at Kew Bridge and seals as far upstream as Kew Gardens.

Harbour porpoises were the most frequently spotted marine mammals followed by grey and unidentified seals.

The ZSL Marine Mammal Sighting Survey, which is in its fourth year, is designed to build up a comprehensive picture of marine mammal life in the River Thames.

ZSL Aquatic Ecologist Dr Renata Kowalik said: "These findings are really important to enable us to build up a picture of the Thames' role in the ecology of British marine mammals.

"Once we have established our baseline data over the next few years we will be able to determine trends, identify threats and effectively manage habitats in the Thames."