Strumble Head Survey

Easter weekend, the sun was out (well mostly) and Morgan was off on a new adventure in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, joining WCA partner Malcolm Barradell and the charity Sea Trust for a harbour porpoise survey at Strumble Head. Sea Trust is a community interest company based in Fishguard surveying whales and dolphins in the seas off Pembrokeshire. The company runs boat based surveys, as well as conducted surveys from the ferry between Fishguard and Ireland, in addition to conducting land based surveys from Strumble Head.

Morgan at Strumble Head

Beyond the surveys and research Sea Trust run regular activities with local school children and events to raise awareness of local issues affecting marine life within Welsh coastal waters. In addition Sea Trust, in association with Pembrokeshire College runs Wildlife Observer Wales training courses, ranging from Seabird Observing for Beginners, Whale and Dolphin Observing for Beginners to Seabird and Cetacean Monitoring courses. A fantastic way for people of all ages and interest to get involved.

Bank Holiday Monday and our little Morgan was taking part in an organised land based survey mainly for harbour porpoise, the smallest species of cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) inhabiting European waters. Harbour porpoise are widely distributed around the UK coast, with their near shore distribution bringing them into close contact with human activities, in particular high numbers of harbour porpoise are caught each year in fishing nets as bycatch, levels that are not sustainable at a population level. Strumble Head attracts large numbers of harbour porpoise in part due to the strong tides providing super feeding habitat. Sea Trust continues to work in order to establish the area as a marine protected area. 

Scanning for cetaceans

Today for Morgan and all the others busily scanning the racing water off the headland it was not just the harbour porpoises that turned up, but a group of very active Risso’s dolphin! With their blunt, rounded heads, tall sickle shaped dorsal fin and their bodies heavily scarred with white scratches the Risso’s were unmistakable. Pembrokeshire forms one hotspot for Risso’s dolphin around the UK and the species is regularly seen during such watches especially during winter periods. Just another indication of the importance of this beautiful little corner of Wales. 

Breaching Risso's Dolphin!

Find out more about Sea Trust at www.seatrust.org.uk and find out more about the WCA at www.worldcetaceanalliance.org.

Stop the Orca Circus

The World Cetacean Alliance and many other charities and individuals believe that keeping whales and dolphins in captivity for entertainment is morally and ethically wrong. Our little Morgan feels the same. The heartbreak suffered by Morgan who instead of being returned to the waters off Norway where her family is found, was sent to Loro Parque to live her days in what is basically a bath tub, is shared by many other Orca’s. To date 19 of the 53 Orca’s in captivity were wild caught, from Lolita taken from the waters of Puget Sound off Washington State in 1970 to Narnia and six other Orca taken from Russian waters in 2012 and 2013. Then there is Tilikum, taken from Iceland in 1983, involved in the deaths of three people and the focus of the film Blackfish. Since 1961 at least 144 Orca have been taken into captivity from the wild, 87% are dead. Of the 33 Orca’s born in captivity and have since died they survived an average of 4.5 years (source: WDC The Fate of CaptiveOrcas in 2014). And that is just for Orca, not considering the other dolphins kept in captivity and performing to entertain, from belugas to bottlenose dolphins.

There are a number of campaigns, demonstrations and petitions calling on companies like SeaWorld that hold captive whales and dolphins to set them free or to retire them to sea pens. Such campaigns, petitions and movies like Blackfish show the power of people. The more people that stand up and say ‘No, this is wrong’ the more likely organisations like SeaWorld will and have to listen. And it is working. Concerts being cancelled at SeaWorld where revenue is down, a bill proposed to end killer whale shows in California, Sir Richard Branson’s engagement process looking at captive whales and dolphins – to name but a few.

To keep the momentum going The World Cetacean Alliance and Responsible Travel have launched a new campaign called Say No to Orca Circuses. We at Follow Free Morgan have signed the petition and would encourage everyone who believes as we do, that keeping whales and dolphins in captivity for entertainment is wrong, to do the same.

So stand up with our little Morgan, be part of the movement and help make Orca’s and all dolphins performing for public entertainment history.   

Sign the petition and find out more www.responsibletravel.com/stop-orca-circus

Signing the petition! #NoOrcaCircus

Morgan at WhaleFest 2014

And so after the excitement, passion and euphoria of the release of the life-sized inflatable Orca called Morgan, our little Morgan was off to WhaleFest 2014.

The world’s biggest festival celebrating whales and dolphins, this year’s event was raising money for the World Cetacean Alliance and the Long Swim to Freedom campaign raising awareness of Morgan the Orca held in Loro Parque and the fight to save the Maui’s dolphins.

Never had our little Morgan been somewhere with so many people who are as passionate about whales and dolphins as she is. There was virtual whale watching, where you could actually go whale watching in the Azores without even leaving the Hilton Hotel! There was a submarine experience that took you underwater around the world. Experts and artefacts let you get up close to bones, skulls, plankton and even a real narwhal tusk! An inflatable life-sized humpback whale, based on a real humpback whale named Nile that lives off the coast of the USA which you could actually go inside! Face painting, crafts, activity books, stories read by the authors, shark activities and informative short talks in spouting off…

Nile the life-sized inflatable humpback whale

On an incredible main stage with a screen big enough to fill a house, experts gave inspiring talks on whales and dolphins; from orca researcher and champion of the ‘Free Morgan’ campaign Dr Ingrid Visser, orca captivity expert Dr Naomi Rose, ex-SeaWorld trainer Samantha Berg, champion of New Zealand’s Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins Dr Barbara Maas to Will Travers and Virginia McKenna from the Born Free Foundation. Alongside these were style Guru Gok Wan, Miranda Krestovnikoff from the One Show, Rob Piley producer of the recent BBC Spy in the Pod, and his spy-cams, the very popular Steve Backshall from the BBC’s Deadly 60 and an incredible traditional Maori haka from Ngāti Rānana.

BBC's Spy in the Pod on the WhaleFest Main Stage

Surrounding all these going’s on, intermixed with all the activity, bustle and fun were exhibitor stands of whale watching companies, charities and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) from around the world. From Canada, to the Azores, to Antarctica there were glossy brochures, beautiful pictures and stunning videos. Charities like the Free Morgan Foundation, NABU International (with their focus on Maui’s dolphins), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Born Free Foundation, to UK based ones like Sea Watch Foundation and ORCA. There were representatives from the WCA and Whale Watch International, a global partnership of responsible whale watching companies.

From the issues of bycatch to plastics in our ocean and everything in between WhaleFest truly was a celebration and a success with over £10,000 raised for the WCA and the Long Swim to Freedom campaign.

And then when it felt like things could not get any better there was the cake. But not just any cake, a choccywoccydodah cake! With thick layers of white chocolate moulded into the shape of a whale, orca and dolphin. It was simply delicious and bets of all the most important people of WhaleFest got to eat it. The volunteers. 

Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

Launch and Release

And so here we are, WhaleFest 2014 had arrived. The world’s largest festival celebrating whales and dolphins and in its third year WhaleFest is raising funds and awareness for the World Cetacean Alliance and the Long Swim to Freedom campaign. This campaign features the issue of freeing the Orca Morgan from captivity and saving the last 50 Maui’s dolphin – New Zealand’s critically endangered endemic dolphin.

But WhaleFest 2014 was also the launch of Follow Free Morgan, the start of our little Orca Morgan’s adventures around the world celebrating wild whales and dolphins and raising awareness of the work of the World Cetacean Alliance. What better place to launch Follow Free Morgan’s adventures then at WhaleFest!

And what better way to launch WhaleFest 2014 and its support for the Long Swim to Freedom campaign then by releasing an Orca into the sea. Just as we have all been campaigning for and hoping for, not only for Morgan but for all the other Orca’s held in captivity. Of course no matter how we may wish it the logistics of releasing a real Orca into the sea off Brighton may be pushing it but who says it has to be real to make an impact!?

Our little Morgan, and the inflatable life-sized Morgan on Brighton beach

So that’s what the amazing people at WhaleFest did. Through the mist and fog of a cool evening a life sized inflatable Orca, also named Morgan, was lifted over the railings from the promenade onto the pebbles of Brighton beach. Amongst crowds of people, waving plaques with Free Morgan and Save the Whales, wearing Orca and shark costumes, shouting and cheering, Morgan was carried down the beach and into the steely blue waters. There she was delivered to the rescue boats of British Divers Marine Life Rescue (the charity that actually rescues stranded whales and dolphins around the British coast) by non other than world renowned Orca researcher and advocate for Morgan, Dr. Ingrid Visser. To the tumultuous applause of the watching crowd our Morgan was set free.

Morgan is carried to the water

Dr Ingrid Visser leads Morgan to the BDMLR boats

And Follow Free Morgan was there. The buzz was electric, the excitement palpable. Once again one felt part of something big, part of a movement that is ultimately changing the world.

Of course the Orca was brought back to shore but the message was simple. Free Morgan.

And so welcome to the blog of Follow Free Morgan… Check out the gallery below for more photos of our little Morgan at the launch of WhaleFest 2014 and the release of an Orca into the sea at Brighton. 


Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com