Fastnet Line, operating the only ferry service to Cork from Wales, is helping MARINElife to carry out vital research into the conservation of marine wildlife by supporting scientific surveys on the Swansea to Cork route during July and August when the ship's schedule allows for daylight passage.
The first of four surveys will take place on the 10th July 2011 and sightings will be posted on both MARINElife and Fastnet Line's websites. The data collected will contribute to a better understanding of the distribution and abundance of whales, dolphins, porpoises and seabirds in the Celtic Sea, an area in which MARINElife has recently observed Fin Whales, the second largest whale on the planet, feeding.
The route from Swansea to Cork crosses a range of marine habitats and we hope it will generate many sightings of cetaceans and seabirds, including two important species we monitor: the White-beaked Dolphin and the Balearic Shearwater.
If you would like to become a volunteer surveyor with MARINElife, either on this new route or on one of our established survey routes, please visit our Volunteer page.