Introduction
MCS has been carrying out surveys of the Outer Bristol Channel throughout Spring and Summer 2007 in order to report basking sharks and other marine megafauna. The surveys were carried out in order to identify the relative species abundance, diversity and distribution of megafauna in this relatively unknown area of the UK.

The survey site
The survey was carried out on board the Environment Agency vessel 'Vigilance' which is used to survey the inshore waters of the Bristol Channel and Cardigan Bay for statutory monitoring purposes. Over 90 hours of surveys were carried out with 126 animals observed.  The costs of carrying out the surveys themslves were covered by the Marine Conservation Society, volunteers with financial support from the Countryside Council for Wales Species Challenge Fund. Full details of the survey were collated into a report sent to CCW in February 2007.

^{Location of the transects from south Wales to the north Cornwall and Devon coast}

The Outer Bristol Channel has the second highest tide in the world measuring 10m. At its outer edge (between Milford Haven and Padstow), common dolphins are commonly encountered, and harbour porpoise are known to occur near to the coastal waters of southern Wales, rarely venturing out to offshore waters. Basking sharks are rarely recorded in Welsh waters, so MCS as Lead Partner for the species is interested in finding out more about its distribution in these waters.

^{Basking shark sightings distributions from Welsh and southwest waters - note the dominance in sightings
from the southwest peninsula rather than from any coastal area of Wales.}

<sup>Harbour Porpoise (left - Rohan Holt), and the commonly occuring Common dolphin (right - Judith Scott)


Basking shark dorsal fin - shot taken in Cornwall aboard the Vigliance (JL Solandt)</sup>
 

Findings
The surveys (from 90 hours of survey effort) confirm that the region is important for cetaceans, with occasional encounters with basking sharks. Three of the four basking shark sightings were from the north Cornwall and Devon coast, which is where the preponderence of sightings sent to the MCS are from. There was however one unusual sighting of a basking shark just to the south of Swansea Bay (approximately 5 miles) - the most eastern report we have of a basking shark into the Bristol Channel. 
 

^{* - species recorded 'off transect', but in the Bristol Channel region} 

Unusual/rare species
The most unusual sighting was that of a humpack whale which wasn't actually recorded during the surveys, but was seen swimming near to Swansea and Port Talbot for 3 weeks in November / December 2007. Unfortunately, probably the same animal was found stranded dead at Port Talbot on December 15th. The animal was photographed on 27 November from Swansea marina.

^{Whale sightied off Swansea marina, 27.11.07 (Dean Williams)}

A leatherback turtle was also spotted by the crew of the Vigilance whilst carrying out a survey on 27 September 2007. The location was Carmarthen Bay where leatherback turtles are commonly encountered foraging for the large abundances of jellyfish which periodically bloom in this area.

^{Leatherback turtle surfacing on 27.9.07 - taken by Vigilance surveyor, Chris Bellas}