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United Kingdom National Whale Stranding Database 1913-2008

Dataset homepage

Citation

Officer, S. 2011. United Kingdom National Whale Stranding Database 1913-2008. Data downloaded from OBIS-SEAMAP (http://seamap.env.duke.edu/dataset/731) on yyyy-mm-dd. https://doi.org/10.15468/uxc4q8 accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-15.

Description

Original provider: The Natural History Museum, London Dataset credits: The Natural History Museum, London Abstract: The Natural History Museum has been monitoring whale strandings since 1913. In 1324, a statute was passed which gave the Crown qualified rights to cetaceans stranded on, or caught in the waters of England and Wales. Similar rights were claimed for the Crown of Scotland. The animals were described as "Fishes Royal." In 1913, by agreement with the then Board of Trade, these rights were transferred to the Natural History Museum in London, at that time known as the British Museum (Natural History). Since then, in monitoring cetacean strandings, over 8,000 animals have been recorded, some of the species being new to British waters. Initially, information was stored on a card index. Latterly, information is collated and entered on computer. The resulting database is used to produce distribution maps and analyze information about the biology and ecology of the different species. The National Stranded Whale Recording Scheme is now the center of a coordinated investigation, funded since April 1990 by the then United Kingdom (UK) Department of the Environment, subsequently by the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions, and now the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, into the biology and ecology of cetacean populations around the British Isles and is a contribution to the UK's program of research on the North Sea and its response to ASCOBANS (the Agreement on the conservation of Small Cetaceans Of the Baltic And North Seas). Investigations are carried out in association with the Institute of Zoology at Regents Park, London (London Zoo) which has responsibility for coordinating autopsies. Purpose: Every year, between 350 and 800 whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans) wash up on British shores. Most are dead, but some are still alive. The Museum is responsible for monitoring these strandings. Since The UK Whale & Dolphin Stranding Scheme started in 1913, more than 11,000 animals have been recorded. Museum scientists study the remains of dead stranded cetaceans to learn more about their biology. Their investigations reveal how many cetaceans strand in Britain each year, what species they are, where and when they strand, and the age and sex of the animals. They also research animal behavior and uncover causes of death. The data our scientists compile is used by other researchers, government agencies, conservationists and animal welfare groups. The information they provide is vital to increasing our understanding of whales, dolphins and porpoises, and conserving them in the future. The UK Whale & Dolphin Stranding scheme is one of the longest-running scientific investigations of its kind. It has generated a wealth of crucial information about these captivating marine mammals. Supplemental information: Time was not provided and filled with "00:00:00." Records without a date or latitude/longitude and a grid reference information were excluded. Pregnant individuals are not counted as mass strandings, even where the offspring are partially born, and the data given does not record this detail. This dataset is an updated version of a previous dataset published on SEAMAP as "UK NHM Whale Strandings 1970-79," last modified on 2004-03-11 12:42:47.

Purpose

Every year, between 350 and 800 whales, dolphins and porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans) wash up on British shores. Most are dead, but some are still alive. The Museum is responsible for monitoring these strandings. Since The UK Whale & Dolphin Stranding Scheme started in 1913, more than 11,000 animals have been recorded. Museum scientists study the remains of dead stranded cetaceans to learn more about their biology. Their investigations reveal how many cetaceans strand in Britain each year, what species they are, where and when they strand, and the age and sex of the animals. They also research animal behavior and uncover causes of death. The data our scientists compile is used by other researchers, government agencies, conservationists and animal welfare groups. The information they provide is vital to increasing our understanding of whales, dolphins and porpoises, and conserving them in the future. The UK Whale & Dolphin Stranding scheme is one of the longest-running scientific investigations of its kind. It has generated a wealth of crucial information about these captivating marine mammals.

Sampling Description

Study Extent

NA

Sampling

NA

Method steps

  1. NA

Additional info

marine, harvested by iOBIS

Taxonomic Coverages

Scientific names are based on the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
  1. Balaenoptera
    common name: baleen whales rank: genus
  2. Balaenoptera acutorostrata
    common name: Minke Whale rank: species
  3. Balaenoptera
    common name: baleen whales rank: genus
  4. Balaenoptera borealis
    common name: Sei Whale rank: species
  5. Balaenoptera musculus
    common name: Blue Whale rank: species
  6. Balaenoptera physalus
    common name: Fin Whale rank: species
  7. Balaenoptera
    common name: baleen whales rank: genus
  8. Cetacea
    common name: cetaceans rank: order
  9. Delphinapterus leucas
    common name: Beluga rank: species
  10. Delphinidae
    common name: dolphins rank: family
  11. Delphinus delphis
    common name: Short-beaked Common Dolphin rank: species
  12. Delphinus
    common name: common dolphins rank: genus
  13. Delphinidae
    common name: dolphins rank: family
  14. Globicephala melas
    common name: Long-finned Pilot Whale rank: species
  15. Globicephala melas
    common name: Long-finned Pilot Whale rank: species
  16. Grampus griseus
    common name: Risso's Dolphin rank: species
  17. Hyperoodon ampullatus
    common name: Northern bottlenose whale rank: species
  18. Kogia breviceps
    common name: Pygmy Sperm Whale rank: species
  19. Lagenodelphis hosei
    common name: Fraser's Dolphin rank: species
  20. Lagenorhynchus
    common name: white-beaked dolphins rank: genus
  21. Lagenorhynchus acutus
    common name: Atlantic White-sided Dolphin rank: species
  22. Lagenorhynchus albirostris
    common name: White-beaked Dolphin rank: species
  23. Megaptera novaeangliae
    common name: Humpback Whale rank: species
  24. Mesoplodon bidens
    common name: Sowerby's Beaked Whale rank: species
  25. Mesoplodon densirostris
    common name: Blainville's Beaked Whale rank: species
  26. Mesoplodon europaeus
    common name: Gervais' Beaked Whale rank: species
  27. Mesoplodon mirus
    common name: True's Beaked Whale rank: species
  28. Monodon monoceros
    common name: Narwhal rank: species
  29. Mysticeti
    common name: baleen whales rank: suborder
  30. Odontoceti
    common name: toothed whales rank: suborder
  31. Orcinus orca
    common name: Killer Whale rank: species
  32. Peponocephala electra
    common name: Melon-headed Whale rank: species
  33. Phocoena phocoena
    common name: Harbor Porpoise rank: species
  34. Physeter macrocephalus
    common name: Sperm Whale rank: species
  35. Physeter macrocephalus
    common name: Sperm Whale rank: species
  36. Pseudorca crassidens
    common name: False Killer Whale rank: species
  37. Stenella coeruleoalba
    common name: Striped Dolphin rank: species
  38. Delphinidae
    common name: dolphins rank: family
  39. Tursiops truncatus
    common name: Common Bottlenose Dolphin rank: species
  40. Hyperoodontidae
    rank: family
  41. Ziphius cavirostris
    common name: Cuvier's Beaked Whale rank: species

Geographic Coverages

Oceans

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Strandings Officer
originator
position: Primary contact
The Natural History Museum, London
email: strandings@nhm.ac.uk
OBIS-SEAMAP
metadata author
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu
OBIS-SEAMAP
distributor
Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab, Duke University
A328 LSRC building
Durham
27708
NC
US
email: seamap-contact@duke.edu
homepage: http://seamap.env.duke.edu
Strandings Officer
owner
position: Primary contact
The Natural History Museum, London
email: strandings@nhm.ac.uk
Strandings Officer
administrative point of contact
position: Primary contact
The Natural History Museum, London
email: strandings@nhm.ac.uk
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