| Mediterranean cetaceans move north
Whales and dolphins from the Mediterranean are for the first time being regularly seen in northern Scottish waters which may be the result of rising sea temperatures off the West Coast of Scotland.
 Up until 2005, minke whales arrived in the spring and stayed until early winter but recent research shows that the animals are now leaving in July. Nearly one third of the world’s population of whales, dolphins and porpoises have been recorded around the Argyll Islands which is an important European cetacean habitat.
Jack Matthews, a professor of marine biology and chairman of the Hebridean Wildlife Trust who carried out the research said that temperatures on the West Coast had changed and that there is a need for long-term studies of species distribution to document the physical changes.
Whales and dolphins distribution and wellbeing provide a good indication of the health of the entire ecosystem. Common and striped dolphins are now being sighted in the area – species that are usually found in warmer waters. Sightings of basking sharks and beaked whales are also becoming more common whereas colder species like the white-beaked dolphin are moving out of the area.
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