28b7987e-3aff-4ff9-8f73-7098fa952d1b English series series 2026-02-27T14:55:04 MEDIN 3.1.2 economy oceans Fishing by-catch SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2023-12-12 revision Acoustic noise in the water column SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2023-12-12 revision Population distribution - demography GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0 2009-07-31 revision SeaDataNet sea areas 2012-11-07 revision North Sea SeaDataNet sea areas 2012-11-07 revision English Channel SeaVoX Vertical Co-ordinate Coverages 2020-05-21 revision inapplicable 2025-06-22T23:00:00 2025-12-23T00:00:00 0 4 50 52 TCE-4488 Marine Data Exchange 2025, Kent Wildlife Trust, Marine Internships, Historical Dolphin Sightings Data Review 2026-02-27T14:55:04 publication English The Kent Dolphin Project is a collaborative effort between Sussex Dolphin Project and Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants, part of the Kent Wildlife Trust Group. As part of the Kent Dolphin Project, this report reviews historical cetacean and pinniped sightings in Kent’s coastal waters, an area of high anthropogenic activity within the Greater Thames Estuary. Cetaceans play vital roles in marine ecosystems but face pressures such as bycatch, vessel strikes, and underwater noise. Research along the Kent coastline has been limited, a gap the Kent Dolphin Project aims to address through citizen science initiatives including landwatch sessions and opportunistic sightings. Data from multiple sources spanning 120 years recorded 18 cetacean species, with harbour porpoise most frequently observed and Dungeness identified as a potential hotspot. These findings provide a baseline but highlight gaps for species such as white-beaked dolphin. Preliminary project data show promise, with over 30 volunteers trained and sightings of humpback whale, bottlenose dolphin, and harbour porpoise. Recommendations include sustaining volunteer engagement, expanding educational outreach, and strengthening research through environmental analysis and behavioural monitoring. Continued data collection and community involvement will be critical to improving understanding and informing conservation strategies for cetaceans in Kent’s waters. The following report was produced as part of the Coast Explorer Internship; a collaborative project between Adonis Blue Environmental Consultant (Kent Wildlife Trust), The Crown Estate, Vattenfall, and the Canterbury City Council, which is funded by The Crown Estate and managed by Adonis Blue Environmental Consultant. Data must be used in accordance with the MDE Terms of Use. otherRestrictions Data must be used in accordance with the MDE Terms of Use. otherRestrictions The Crown Estate +44 020 7851 5000 enquiries@thecrownestate.co.uk custodian Kent Wildlife Trust max.renton@adonisblue.org.uk originator The Crown Estate +44 020 7851 5000 enquiries@thecrownestate.co.uk distributor The Crown Estate mde@thecrownestate.co.uk owner notPlanned Documents https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/details/TCE-4488/summary A link to the web service or dataset. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk A link to the general host site. Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services 2010-12-08T00:00:00 publication False series Sightings data of cetaceans. Quality of the data cannot be guaranteed due to much of it being sumbitted as citizen science data, which without further verification may not be accuarte. The data has been used to draw interprative results. Data was collected from a range of publicly available sources, along with some non-publicly available sources (inclduing from the Sea Watch Foundation and KEIFCA). Data was collected from the MDE, NBN Atlas, ICES, NHM Strandings Database. Data was georeferenced and plotted on ArcGIS to create maps. The Crown Estate hannah.newnham03@gmail.com pointOfContact EPSG Geodetic Parameter Registry 2021-03-18 revision OSGB36 / British National Grid