RECORD numbers of three dolphin species off Scotland’s West Coast were recorded by Mull-based conservation charity the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust in its marine research expeditions in 2016.
From the trust’s specialised research yacht Silurian, volunteers and scientists recorded 2,303 individual common dolphins, 42 bottlenose dolphins and 94 Risso’s dolphins – the figures for all three species being the highest ever recorded in its annual survey seasons.
Average annual figures documented over the previous 14 years were 463 individual common dolphins, 14 bottle-nose dolphins and 12 Risso’s dolphins.