Factory waste disposal attracts dolphins
A research project by a marine biology student at Swansea University has revealed that a school of at least 300 bottlenose dolphins has learned to take advantage of licensed discharges at a seafood processing factory in New Quay, Ceredigion.
Quay Fresh and Frozen Foods Ltd is licensed to discharge the remains of the whelks it processes into the sea, which attracts a variety of fish which feed on them. The dolphins feed on these fish in turn and the shallow water of the area allows younger dolphins, which are unable to dive as deeply as their elders, to feed too.
Commenting, Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (CBMWC) Manager Steve Hartley said that "We see adults and juveniles in this area foraging and feeding. Wherever the mother is, she'll be teaching her pup social and feeding strategies in the same way a human mother would teach her children how to survive day to day."
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