Following their crossing at Peniche, Portugal in June, YoD Ambassadors and open water swimmers Miguel Arrobas and Nuno Vicente of Portugal have now accomplished another spectacular feat. They swam across the English Channel!

Miguel Arrobas successfully completed the crossing on the 7th of August in 9 and 1/2 hours, and Nuno Vicente’s time window was between the 9th and 15th of August. At a trial swim on August 4th a small group of Bottlenose dolphins paid a visit.

They made use of this event’s publicity to support the Year of the Dolphin and raise awareness for the plight dolphins are facing globally, as a result of human activities and unsustainable exploitation of nature.

The English Channel, one of the most heavily travelled shipping routes of the world, makes the problems dolphins face very palpable. Pollution is still a major issue (though action has been taken by bordering countries to improve standards), with the habitat in the English Channel being severely degraded.

The noise pollution whales and dolphins face in this part of the ocean resembles that of living right next to a heavily travelled motorway, and strandings of dolphins and whales are often interpreted as signs of disorientation or fear caused by loud noises. Ship strikes that kill whales are a further problem.

CMS, through its ASCOBANS agreement, works for the reduction of noise pollution in this part of the ocean. CMS also supports measures aimed at reducing by-catch, ship strikes, pollution and noise pollution, among others (see CMS Resolution 8.22 and 8.14).

Several species of dolphins, whales and porpoises inhabit the waters of the English Channel. Quite frequently encountered species are the Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus), and Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis).

Less often seen species are e.g. the Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), Pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps), Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), White-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), the Orca (Orcinus orca) and others. Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) may occasionally enter the channel too. Many of these species are also covered by the CMS ASCOBANS agreement.

Other species occasionally occurring in these waters are the

- False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens)

- Striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)

- Sowerby’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens)

- Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris)

More interesting sites:

YoD Ambassadors Open Water Portugal

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