Conservationists warn that jet-skis as well motorboats pose a serious threat to dolphins and whales.
The Wildlife Trusts stated that marine disturbances in Cornwall have tripled in the past four years, in their annual marine review.
According to the charity, there is a rising number of motorboats and jet-skis. A bottlenose dolphin died in Ireland last September after it was hit by a vessel.
Only in Cornish waters, marine wildlife disturbances increased from 105 to 371 last 2014
The climate change may be causing whales, porpoises and dolphins to move further than normal.
This year, two orcas were spotted off the Cornish coast – the furthest south they had been seen in more than half a century.
Volunteers rescue the dolphin mother and baby that washed up in Cornwall’s Godrevy, near St Ives.
Danielle Clifford, marine conservation officer at The Wildlife Trusts, said: ‘It’s great to see so many people enjoying our coastlines, but it’s critical that doesn’t come at a cost to wildlife.
‘Whales, dolphins, porpoises and sharks are highly intelligent animals and vessels can unintentionally disturb, hit and injure them.’
Recent years have seen a surge in interest in marine wildlife, thanks to the BBC’s Blue Planet’s enduring appeal and the celebrity status of whales like “Benny the Beluga”, which visited Kent, and “Minnie”, the minke that was stranded in the Thames last year.
After people took selfies of the seal pup, The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales saw it being abandoned by her mother.
Growing sightings and reports of magnificent humpback whales have fueled the whale-watching boom.
New figures reveal that the Cornish Wildlife Trust has recorded 75 sightings in the last three years up to 2021.
Only one humpback was seen each year in 2017 and 2018. This is due to the fact that the 1986 commercial whaling ban and the large number of sardines the animals eat meant only one humpback per year.
The first sighting of white-beaked dolphins in Essex in over 20 years was in April this year. They were found in Blackwater estuary, which is unusually where they are normally found.
Two bottlenose dolphins that were first found in Scotland’s Moray Firth in 2009 are now found in Weymouth Bay in Dorset.
Minnack Theatre, Cornwall, was home to an orca. This year, two orcas were spotted off the Cornish coast – the furthest south they had been seen in more than half a century
Conservationists caution that humpbacks are at risk from noise pollution, large vessels, and other hazards, as well as being seen off Northumberland’s coast, Pembrokeshire, and the Firth Of Forth.
A young and emaciated Humpback Whale with visible injuries to its tail stopped the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in July.
Marine Review identifies wildlife winners and losers for 2021. This includes the Arctic walrus Wally who was instantly famous after traveling thousands of miles to Britain. But, this is a concerning sign of climate changes.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the origins of thousands upon thousands of dead crabs, lobsters and birds that were discovered washed up along the Northumberland or Scottish coasts in this year’s ‘apocalyptic” scenes.
Happier wildlife news is that a pair of puffins were seen on the Isle of Man, for the first-time in over 30 years.