Sometimes at sea you have to do a lot of waiting. We can be waiting for the weather to change, or the helicopter to arrive to pick up journalists, or to find a pair of trawlers on the radar, or to see some dolphins/porpoises...

Today we waited for all of those. We left anchor this morning and sailed south in the big swell left over from the northerly gales of the past couple of days. The wind on the bridge wings was bitterly cold - but with tales of snow on mainland France and the UK we didn't complain.

We had some nice sightings of dolphins today - including a fair number of juveniles and calves ('baby dolphins' in layperson's terms). I know it's hardly scientific or objective but they are *so* cute.

By lunchtime our helicopter had arrived and our journalists were saying goodbye (our campaign made the front pages of the 'Western Daily Press' AND the 'Western Morning News' today). We'd also just spotted pair trawlers on the radar so we set off to have a look. Sure enough we had found again the Ocean Star and Ocean Crest, the UK trawlers we *know* have been killing dolphins in this fishery for years. We're still with them as I type.

Sometimes sitting at this end of the computer screen, as the ocean motion makes the screen hard to concentrate on, it's easy to forget how things appear at the other end. So I'd like to take a moment to suggest how *you* can help.

Fundamentally there are two ways you can make a difference - as a consumer (DO NOT BUY FISH CAUGHT IN A DESTRUCTIVE/UNSUSTAINABLE WAY) and as a citizen (HOLD YOUR POLITICIANS TO ACCOUNT). That sounds quite simple, doesn't it?

I'll expand on the former in a later weblog or two. For now, why not take a minute to tell the new EU Fisheries Commissioner, Joe Borg, that you want pair trawling for bass banned. Governments have had the evidence that this fishery kills dolphins for years. And we're fed up waiting...

Willie, Campaigner

Cheers for the support, Issy.
I can't help thinking that they need to do more programmes on porpoises though. Dolphins get all the stardom.

Willie

Readers may find the following website useful for
making a differecne as a consumer ;-)

http://www.fishonline.org/

watched an amazing programme last night about how intelligent dolphins are, with David Attenborough - it really brings it home how amazing these creatures are - we have to stop this madness.

keep up the good work you guys - you're so much braver than me! But am doing what i can from dry land!
Issy
xxxx