Northumberland coastline 'a megafauna hotspot'

Basking sharks frequent the Northumberland coastline. Credit: J.P. Trenque

Two stretches of the Northumberland coastline have been identified by conservationists as aquatic hotspots that should be protected by law.

The Farnes East and Coquet to St Mary's islands is one of 17 important locations around the UK coastline identified in the 'Save Our Ocean Giants' report compiled by The Wildlife Trusts.

These newly identified hotspots are areas where whales, dolphins and basking sharks live.

The Wildlife Trusts believe legal protection for these 'megafauna hotspots' would secure the missing link in marine protection for English and Welsh waters.

Area 1 is the Northumberland coastline which is 'an aquatic hotspot'. Credit: The Wildlife Trusts

The ‘megafauna hotspots’ that The Wildlife Trusts want to see protected are:

  • Farnes East, Coquet to St Marys – notable for white-beaked dolphin, harbour porpoiseand minke whale.

  • Mid St George’s Channel – notable for common dolphin.

  • Bideford North to Foreland Point – notable for harbour porpoise.

  • East of Celtic Deep – notable for common dolphin and fin whale.

  • Celtic Deep – notable for common dolphin and fin whale.

  • South of Celtic Deep – notable for common dolphin and fin whale.

  • Western Channel – notable for common dolphin, humpback whale and fin whale.

  • Manacles – notable for basking shark, harbour porpoise and (seasonally) minke whale.

  • Lizard, Western channel – notable for common dolphin, harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphin and basking shark.

  • Lyme Bay – notable for harbour porpoise.

  • North and west coasts of Anglesey – notable for harbour porpoise.

  • Lleyn Peninsula and the Sarnau – notable for harbour porpoise and Risso’s dolphin.

  • Cardigan Bay – notable for harbour porpoise.

  • Pembrokeshire Marine – notable for harbour porpoise.

  • North of Celtic Deep – notable for common dolphin.

  • Eastern coastline including Silver Pit – notable for harbour porpoise.

  • Dogger bank – notable for harbour porpoise and white-beaked dolphin.

The Wildlife Trusts are urging the public to sign an e-action(live from November 4) which calls on the Government to protect the 17 megafauna hotspots around our shores to secure a brighter future for dolphins, whales and basking sharks.