© John MacPherson/2020VISION
Marine sightings and strandings
Reporting sightings and strandings
Our seas are among the best in Europe for spotting whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals. Seeing one is a true privilege, and reporting it can make a huge difference to our understanding of marine wildlife, allowing us to better protect it. This page will help you know who to report a sighting or a stranding to, and what to do if you come across a beached animal.
Report a sighting
A number of groups collect UK marine sightings, and are always interested to know what you have seen. Use the links below to report your sightings of the following animals:
- Whales, dolphins and porpoises
- Basking sharks, turtles, jellyfish and alien species
- Seals: If in Cornwall and the South West, please report to The Cornwall Seal Group
Elsewhere, please report to your local Wildlife Trust with date, location, number (and ideally a picture) information for creation of sighting records.
Report a live stranding
| Country/region | Organisation/website | Contact details |
|---|---|---|
| England, Scotland & Wales (all species) |
Rescue hotline: 01825 765546
0800 652 0333 |
|
| Northern Ireland (cetacean or shark) | DAERA | 028 70823600 |
| Northern Ireland (sick/injured seals) | Exploris Aquarium | 028 427 28062, if no answer, call the NI Water Pollution Hotline on 0800 807 060 |
| Isle of Man (all species) | MSPCA | 01624 851672 |
Report a dead stranding
| Country/region | Organisation/website | Contact details |
|---|---|---|
| England, Scotland & Wales (all species) | Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme | 0800 652 0333 |
| Scotland (all species) | Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme | 07979 245893 |
| Northern Ireland (cetacean or shark) | DAERA | 028 70823600 |
| Northern Ireland (seal or otter) | DAERA | marine.wildlife@daera-ni.gov.uk |
| Isle of Man (all species) | Manx Wildlife Trust (Marine Officer) | 07624 450879 or 01624 844432 |
| Cornwall (all species) | Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network | 0345 201 2626 |
Report dead or injured/sick seabirds
| Country/region | Organisation/website | Contact details |
|---|---|---|
| England & Wales |
Sick seabirds: RSPCA Dead seabirds: Report dead wild birds |
RSPCA: 0300 1234 999 Defra: 03459 335577 |
| Scotland |
Sick seabirds: SSPCA Dead seabirds: Report dead wild birds |
SSPCA: 03000 999 999 Defra: 03459 335577 |
| Northern Ireland |
Sick seabirds: USPCA Dead seabirds: Report dead wild birds to DAERA |
USPCA: 028 3025 1000
|
| Cornwall | Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network | 0345 201 2626 |
If you need help identifying a species, use our Green Marine Wildlife Guide, produced in conjunction with the RYA Green Blue. The digital edition is available via the free ‘RYA Books’ app under ‘Catalogues & Brochures’.
If you find a live stranded animal
Finding a stranded animal can be distressing. Though your first instinct may be to try to help it back into the water, you should never try to do this - they have stranded for a reason and require urgent professional medical attention.
Specific details on dealing with live strandings can be found on the BDMLR website. Please do not try to deal with a stranded animal alone - always call for help.
Never try to put an animal back in the sea yourself. Always contact the relevant organisation before trying to help. © Tanya Perdikou
Keep your distance, and keep other people, dogs, and gulls away. They are wild animals so contact with or proximity to humans can add additional stress to an already distressing situation, and you also put yourself at risk of injury if the animal thrashes or tries to move. Direct contact can also transmit disease.
Contact the relevant organisation as soon as possible using the details above. Note your location, the state of the tide, and any obvious injuries you can see.
Below are some guidelines for commonly reported strandings. For specific details on dealing with live strandings, visit the BDMLR website. Please do not try to deal with a stranded animal alone - always call for help.
Live seals
Are you sure the animal is in distress? Healthy adult seals regularly haul out of the water to rest and seal pups (a seal with a white, long-haired coat in the autumn/winter, or less than 3 feet in length in the summer) are often left alone for short periods of time. The best thing to do is keep watch from a distance.
If the animal is obviously ill, malnourished (visible ribs) or appears to be an abandoned pup, then contact your local strandings team using the details below for advice and assistance. Once you have called for help, keep a watch from a safe distance and try to keep other people and dogs away. Don't get too close - seals can give a nasty bite!
| England, Scotland & Wales |
Rescue hotline: 01825 765546
0800 652 0333 |
|
| Northern Ireland (sick/injured seals) | Exploris Aquarium | 028 427 28062, if no answer, call the NI Water Pollution Hotline on 0800 807 060 |
| Isle of Man | MSPCA | 01624 851672 |
Live porpoises, dolphins, whales and sharks
Call for help immediately, using the details below, and your local strandings contact will advise you on what to do next. Never drag the animal or try to return it to sea, and keep dogs and crowds away as best you can and try to limit the stress to the animal, keeping noise and sudden movements to a minimum. Stay away from the tail - it is very powerful.
| England, Scotland & Wales |
Rescue hotline: 01825 765546 0800 652 0333 |
|
| Northern Ireland (cetacean or shark) | DAERA | 028 70823600 |
| Isle of Man | MSPCA | 01624 851672 |
Live turtles
Call for help immediately (details below). Live turtle strandings are more likely in winter months, when juvenile turtles are swept into our waters by ocean storms. Sea turtles normally live in tropical waters and don't cope well with cold water (anything below 10°C). Their body will stop working properly, leaving them unable to swim, and they end up washing ashore - often badly injured and requiring immediate medical attention. Never try to return the turtle to sea and stay away from their front flippers - they are very powerful.
| England, Scotland & Wales | British Divers Marine Life Rescue | Rescue hotline: 01825 765546 |
| Northern Ireland | DAERA | 028 70823600 |
| Isle of Man | MSPCA | 01624 851672 |
If you find a dead stranded animal
Please report your find. Information collected from dead stranded animals is vital to our understanding of marine life and helps us work to improve marine wildlife protections.
© Kirsten Smith
Dead strandings can help us learn about marine animals' diet, health and disease, the effects of pollution and bycatch, distribution, and specific threats that they face. Avoid touching the animal and always make sure to wash your hands if any contact is made; dead marine animals, like any other animal, can carry disease or infection.
In Cornwall
The Cornwall Wildlife Trust is the licenced recorder for all marine strandings in Cornwall, with a team of over 100 volunteers who record all reported strandings on the Cornish coastline. The work of this brilliant team and the Strandings Coordinator has led to over 5500 records to date - from whales, dolphins and porpoises to basking sharks, turtles, zulu fish and buoy barnacles!
More about the Marine Stranding Network
In England, Wales or Scotland
The Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme is UK-wise and collects data on strandings. Please report any finds to their hotline: 0800 652 0333
The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme is the dedicated research and reporting scheme for stranding marine animals. You can report strandings in Scotland on their website.
In Northern Ireland
Report strandings to DAERA using their hotline: 028 70823600
If you find a dead or injured seabird
Please do not handle any dead or visibly sick seabirds. Avian influenza is very common in wild bird populations so it's important not to touch.
Sick/injured seabirds
Injured animals will need specialist care to recover. Do not try to move them or treat them yourselves. Try contacting:
- In England and Wales: RSPCA 0300 1234 999 Contact Us | RSPCA - RSPCA - rspca.org.uk
- In Scotland: Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) 03000 999 999 Contact - Scottish SPCA
- In Northern Ireland: Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) 028 3025 1000 Ulster Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Animals
Dead seabirds
It's important to report dead birds for data collection and also so that they can be tested for avian flu.
- In England, Wales and Scotland report dead wild birds on the Government website or call the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77
- In Northern Ireland use the DAERA dead wild bird reporting tool
- BTO is also collecting this data for monitoring of bird populations. You can report dead sightings on BirdTrack