THE 2018 National Whale and Dolphin Watch event involving thousands of volunteers from all around the British Isles has revealed striking biodiversity of Britain’s whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Organised by the Sea Watch Foundation, Britain’s oldest marine mammal research and education charity, preliminary analysis have provided some striking results.

The aim of the survey was to obtain a snapshot picture of the status and distribution of some of the species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) recorded in UK waters.

Systematic watches from both land and sea were undertaken at locations all around our coasts and inshore waters from Shetland in the north to the Isles of Scilly and Channel Islands in the south.

Over just this nine-day period, more than 500 sightings of 13 different species have been reported, and more records are still coming in.

Already, however, some patterns are emerging.

Cardigan Bay was found to hold the largest coastal population of bottlenose dolphins in Britain.

Around New Quay Harbour, dolphins have been seen almost daily.

The most common and widely distributed marine mammal in Wales is the harbour porpoise, with sightings daily during this year’s event from New Quay and Llangrannog in Ceredigion.

See this week’s south papers for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition tomorrow