Hi - it's Huw and Penny here - Greenpeace volunteers onboard the MV Esperanza. We took part in yesterday's action and the picking up of the three dead dolphins.

Yesterday morning we set off to document a haul from two pair trawlers. Francois, the French campaigner onboard, contacted the boats over the radio and told them that we were campaigning against the bycatch of dolphins in their nets and the depletion of common dolphins in the area. He asked them to cease their activity and also said that we were prepared to take non-violent direct action to preserve the dolphins - which are a protected species under the 1992 EU Habitat Directive.

The trawlerman replied that he didn't see any dolphins in his net, so it wasn't relevant to him.

The trawler just carried on and the crew began setting its net. The net was floating on the surface when we approached it in our inflatable boat and removed one of the large floating buoys (to be returned to the fisherman at a later date). As a result, they hauled their net and stopped fishing.

There were dolphins all around as they were setting the nets - so it was a big relief that we had managed to stop them. We began following another trawler when we got the call from the Esperanza that a dead dolphin had been spotted near the ship. It was quite cold and wet at the time and the route back to the ship was against the sea, so we took a lot of spray and water. But we all wear dry suits and were warm as toast under our outer skin.

The first dead dolphin was only a juvenile. It was very difficult to pick up with the swell of the sea, and the waves were breaking over our inflatable boat.

It is difficult but it's something we are sadly getting used to. We lassoed the tail and it was then craned onto the Esperanza when we came along side. We have seen a lot of dead dolphins during this campaign but this was more shocking than before because their bellies were slit wide open and their innards hanging out. We had heard that the fishermen cut them open to sink them but we hadn't seen it like this till now. These dolphins look wrong dead like this...

Huw - 'When you are touching and dealing with them you have to go into a very pragmatic methodical mind set to get through it and it is only when I step back from it that it hurts. We had to weigh the three dead dolphins and put them in body bags.'

Penny - 'It is by far the hardest thing I have ever done for Greenpeace. They were still really warm and their skin silky and smooth - not like a fish at all. It felt like a warm wet suit on a diver. Both Huw and I think that the dolphins may have still been alive when they were taken out of the nets and cut open before being thrown over board.'

View a slideshow of the action and dolphin discovery.

Huw and Penny - Volunteers

Hey Penny

I know how distressing the dead dolphins were for you last year, so I really felt for you guys finding these ones this year.

This was hammered home to me when I saw the bodies in London when we took them to Defra ... they looked too alive to be dead.

keep up the good work

X

Willie

Hi
Can you tell me is it true that they think the population of dolphins in the chanel is around 450,000 ??? and is it true that the dolphins are riddled with sexually transmited diseases, and that you have to wear gloves to handle the dead ones that you pick up...... also is it true that the navy are doing exercises in the channel and thats why you are leaving the scottish boats alone, also if you go into plymouth that the police will arrest you. Also that you put the lives of the crew aboard one of the scottish boats at risk by trying to steer it into the path of a big cargo/tanker ship.....why don't you put any of that on your web site...

Hi Huw...Hi Penny
Congratulations for your work.
Sure it's hard and difficult but be strong. You're doing the right thing. Probably with your presence you saved a life of a dolphin.

As the last, please give hugs and kisses to all the tripulation of Esperanza. My name is Hugo and I live in Lisbon. I meet the crew in December when they stay here with a open boat for a couple of days. I hope they're all fine.

Best regards

Abraço