In spring of 2015, the MCR team, in partnership with ZSL and IFAW, undertook the first dedicated survey for harbour porpoises in the Thames Estuary.
The study documented both sightings and acoustic detections of harbour porpoise groups, with an acoustic encounter comparable to results from our other acoustic surveys undertaken in important European porpoise habitats. These findings, along with other unpublished records of porpoises contributed by local wildlife and conservation groups, show that harbour porpoises have been reported in the tidal Thames during all months of the year, with peak presence in spring and late summer (Cucknell et al., in prep).
Our collaborators, Thames Estuary Partnership, have recently completed production of a film about the Estuary, called The Living Thames. Introduced by Sir David Attenborough and presented by distinguished environmentalist Chris Baines, the film features people and organisations working to study and protect this unique river and its inhabitants. The documentary includes coverage of the Song of the Whale team’s Thames porpoise project. The Living Thames tells the story of this most famous river and its ever-changing ecology as it meanders through London and flows out to sea. Declared ‘biologically dead’ by scientists in 1957 due to pollution, the Thames has recovered dramatically to become one of the cleanest inner-city rivers in Europe, supporting porpoises, seals and more than 126 species of fish.
Chris meets people who work on and around the Thames, including conservationists working to save London’s iconic eels, wardens tending breeding waders on the Kent marshes, and MCR scientists learning how harbour porpoises use the estuary. Their stories show the wonder of the Thames and its importance for connectivity, biodiversity, wildlife and migrating species.
If you would like to watch the trailer for The Living Thames, please click here
If you would like to watch the whole film, please contact the Thames Estuary Partnership on tep@thamesestuarypartnership.org for details of upcoming screenings.
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