It's a calm Monday and we're following a dolphin transect line. Visibility is good and the dolphin-spotting (pictured!) is on high effort. So I thought it was about time I explained some of this jargon for you.

'Dolphin-spotting' refers to the cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) survey being conducted by an independent team of WDCS scientists on board the Esperanza with us. We say 'dolphin-spotting' as shorthand because dolphins are far and away the most frequent cetaceans spotted.

A 'transect line' is a straight line on a chart that we follow, designed to 'randomly sample' an area. The survey data can then be used to extrapolate out figures based on these transect lines to [hopefully] work out some distribution, density and population data for cetaceans in the area.

There is a very rigid protocol for those doing the dolphin-spotting. Observers must continuously survey a set area of sea in front of them and note down specific details if and when they have a sighting - namely the distance, direction, which way they are heading, species, number of animals, and travel mode. Standard dolphin-spotting equipment consists of special binoculars, a watch, an angle-board (to record directions) and a radio. Gloves, sunglasses, a hat, and a mug of something hot are optional, but advised.

Sightings are then radioed through to the data-logger (who sits in the map room behind the bridge) where they also record the time, position, water depth, sea state, cloud cover, wind speed and the presence of any vessels.

When there's nothing to be spotted the rigid procedure may seem pointless - but of course it isn't. It's essential to make sure that all the data collected (even 'no sightings' = data) is collected in the same way - so that it can be put together and analysed later.

That is why WDCS team leader Marijke is such a stickler for the protocol - and anyone not adhering to it risks a smack on the legs with a ruler.

Willie, Campaigner

It's Sunday morning so there was no standard 'wake up call' at 7.30am. But for a few of us we were expecting an early morning trip out to visit the trawlers again, but the fierce weather has put paid to that. We kept with the trawlers, Ocean Star and Ocean Crest, overnight, but they too have stopped fishing in this weather and steamed off for shelter. That means we got a lie-in (for what it's worth when the ship is moving about so much!).

The normal Sunday rush to the laundry has also been curtailed, as we can't use the machines in the rough weather. Sarah's quite smug that she got up early enough to get her washing done now.

The dolphin-spotting is carrying on, from the safety and comfort of inside the bridge. Conditions make it hard to see but the few dolphins that come very close to the ship show off jumping through the waves.

I'm hoping we reach shelter quite soon. Not only for the sake of my stomach, but for everyone else's too. Sarah, Niall and I rashly volunteered to cook Sunday dinner for the crew. I'd rather try and do that when the ship's a bit more stable. My culinary skills are tested enough when the floor and walls are stationary...

Willie, Campaigner

We were in the water at 2pm. The two pairs were Ocean Star and Ocean Crest, and a new pair, Ocean Dawn and Sunrise. We made radio contact again with Ocean Star and Ocean Crest, explaining why we were there, and again asking them to stop fishing to protect the dolphin populations in the area. These trawlers have a track record of killing dolphins in this fishery. We know that. We also know that nothing they have tried has stopped them killing dolphins - yet they still keep on fishing regardless.

They didn't respond. So we thought it was time to try and convince them in another way.

View this slideshow of the action in pictures.

With both the Gray Whale and the African Queen Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) in the water we put two swimmers with buoys reading 'Stop killing dolphins' in the path of the trawlers to try and make them stop. Magali and Huw were brave enough to volunteer, a task none of us envied.

The trawlers didn't stop and the swimmers were swept past... we went back to pick them up safely. In an attempt to get them to haul their nets and stop fishing we then dropped some large buoys in the path of the net.

This time they did stop. It took them quite a while to haul the net in and detach the buoys. And, lest we forget, all the time they're not fishing - they're not killing dolphins. We then hung around to try and stop them fishing again, and managed to do that for a good few hours. The weather's picking up a bit now - so for safety's sake we brought the RIBs back in for the night.

We're back in the warmth of the Esperanza now, but we're sticking with these trawlers overnight, weather permitting, and will be back out there tomorrow doing what we can to stop destructive fishing and save dolphins.

Willie, Campaigner

It was another rough night at sea, force 8 again. The movement of the ship tends to make your body work harder at everything, even staying still. Sleeping is a chore - whether you're lying in your bunk rolling side-to-side, or seesawing head-to-toe... and all the different combinations of the two. Things you can't identify bang and clatter. Sometimes the best thing is to let them find a suitable resting place on the floor, and then they don't fall down any further. Lashing waves and almighty judders as the ship plunges up and down in the stormy waters means very few of us get any real sleep.

The normally simple operation of walking down a corridor becomes a cross between tightrope-walking and impeccable timing. Already steep stairways can pitch around to almost vertical. And trying to make sure you hold on to the wall and stay under the stream of water from the shower when the walls and floor keep moving is no mean feat! The portholes show a never-horizontal horizon, and pitch between sea and sky and back again.

Things no one had thought to stow away become a job for one of the crew to tidy up. A pile of boots. The books in the library. Even the normally automatic ritual of making coffee in the mess-room first thing seems a hazardous task that may not be worth the effort.

One of the joys of rough weather is that sometimes it means the dolphins will give us a spectacular show - making sure there is no doubt who is in their element out here.

But now we're at anchor for a brief respite. We're waiting for a gap in the weather to send a Rigid Inflatable Boat to shore for some equipment. That'll be a bumpy ride for someone. Today, I won't be volunteering to don a boat suit.

Willie, Campaigner

Hi! My name is Maaike. I'm second mate on the Esperanza. I got on board just before this campaign started, 16 February. After a few weeks I'm starting to get use to ship life again, having had a really nice and relaxed time off after the last trip. But it always takes a while. Especially to get into the rhythm of watch keeping. I'm on the bridge from 12 to 4 (day and night). Besides the watches, I keep the charts and navigation books up-to-date... and try to write a weblog now and then!

Last year we worked on the same campaign. It's good to go on with it this year. Now you can see the results of last year, which is very motivating. We have the reports and research results on board.

Last year we tried to get footage of dolphins caught in fishing nets. We found dead dolphins with wounded noses and fins from trying to get out of the net, which proves a lot of course. The figures from last year show that observers from the Sea Mammal Research Unit saw over 100 dolphins being caught and killed by a pair of trawlers - even though the trawlers had a special grid onboard to avoid dolphins getting caught in their net (which you wouldn't try if you never caught dolphins!).

When you see those statistics it motivates you even more to go on and try to stop pair trawling.

Maaike, Second mate

Lunchtime finds us back in the shelter of Bigbury Bay, Devon. The sun is shining but it's still very cold outside - which hasn't been making it much fun for our dolphin watchers this morning. The glare of the sun on the sea is also a hindrance to them. We're sheltering to move some of our Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) about on deck - not an operation you want to be doing when the ship is pitching and rolling at sea.

On board we have four small RIBs and one jet boat. These small manoeuverable boats are the ones many people associate with Greenpeace - whether it's from an encounter with a whaling ship, a shipment of illegal timber, or a vessel carrying nuclear waste.

Each of our ships carries some of these boats, and some of our bigger offices have some on land too, for land-launched campaigning on water. They vary in size and power - so sometimes they get changed around between offices and/or ships so that we have the right ones in the right place for a specific campaign.

They have their own unique names too... which just makes them easier to refer to! The two biggest RIBs onboard the Esperanza just now are the African Queen ('Queenie' to her friends) and the Gray Whale. RIBs are often named on their first campaign trip, and we usually try to find a name that suits the 'personality' of the boat. That sounds quite strange when you write it down - but it does make sense, honest.

RIBs can be launched from the ship in a few minutes. The boat is craned in and out of the water with a driver and a crew member - but any other crew must get on and off the RIB via the pilot ladder from the ship itself. As I'm sure you can imagine, when the ship, RIB and sea are all moving around a lot, that can be a precarious business!

Of course when the sea is too rough, we can't launch the RIBs as it's simply too dangerous. Just like the situation we were in on Tuesday when we encountered the dead dolphin.

We've put together a slideshow of photos from when we found the dead dolphin. Apologies if you find any of the images distressing - but this is the sad reality of the tragic cost to our marine environment from destructive fisheries.

Willie, Campaigner

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

Hi - I'm Cedric from the actions team. Today, or should I say last night, the sea was pretty rough. I think the wind was around force 7 or 8, and there was a lot of movement and noise. So - sleep? Forget it! In my room we all did not sleep well, and the wake up call at 7.30 was very hard.

Anyway, my job today was to get the help of Sabine and Mike to fix the electrical problem we had on one of our boats. But wow, after a rough night (and some attention) our Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) seems to work! Good. So I wasn't in a hurry anymore...

...till we found that dead dolphin floating at sea. It was around 9am and believe me, this is one of the things you really don't want to see happening, even if this helps our campaign. No, really, it was a sad time.

With the rough weather, we decided not to launch the RIB to collect it - so we had to make a mob approach with the Esperanza. Well, I'd better say Frank had to show us his art of being captain. Twice we had to approach the dolphin because we were not able to grab it the first time. With the dolphin's 120 kilos and the height of the deck, it was pretty difficult to bring the dolphin on board. Finally we managed. It now RIPs in a freezer container.

And now? Now we get shelter to fix other stuff on the ship.

And for me, a little sleep... like a baby, please.

Cedric, Activist

Today we pulled a dead dolphin out of the sea. It's the first time I've seen one and it was horrible. It was very fresh - suggesting that it was definitely caught in nets around where we are.

At first glance the dolphin's body didn't seem to be too badly cut up but then I saw the ragged state of its beak and fins. I think everyone felt a bit strange after seeing it - even those people who have seen lots before. Later, watching some very lively dolphins from the portholes in the mess, took away some of the nasty feeling - but it also brought home how awful it is to see something that was so alive being so dead.

On to more pleasant things - galley life is still going great. I have definitely got the routine down now. 8am start with a break at 10, then back in to prepare lunch until 12. At 1, after a bit of cleaning greatly helped by the 'galley slaves' (crew members on galley cleaning duty), I have generally been given a couple of hours off - before returning at 3.30-4 to prepare the evening meal. We finish later than everyone else but it's nice to have the time in the day to sleep, or help on deck, or check emails...

As I write I keep thinking of things that have happened. I got sick the other night - not pleasant at all. It did get pretty rough and quite scary in the galley as things started falling around the place - lots of dangerous things like really sharp knives and boiling hot food. I now fully understand the phrase 'ship-shape' and why everything has to be put away in a secure place.

I did some dolphin watch training on Sunday and it was far more complex than I had imagined. I guess I need to understand that the WDCS crew members are scientists and scientific research is going to require more than the "ooh there's a dolphin" that characterises my spotting so far. I'm looking forward to getting started when the weather improves.

Jo, Assistant cook

Following on from Sarah's blog - at about 9am in a force 8 gale, the shout went up that there was a dead dolphin in the water. This time it had been an eagle-eyed local journalist onboard who'd spotted the animal. Ironically this morning was the first time she'd seen live dolphins in the wild, as they exuberantly jumped high above the stormy waves around the bow of the ship.

But now we had a problem. The weather was too bad to launch a Rigid Inflatable Boat to retrieve the animal. But we know how important it is to take this sort of 'fresh' evidence back to shore.

The crew went to work, struggling for almost an hour with various combinations of ropes to try and secure the body. Eventually they managed, in an Herculean effort, to get the body on deck. Then it was laid out on the heli-deck so that measurements could be recorded.

The beautiful markings are even more intricate up close, but death makes the colours much less vivid. And blood from around the dolphin's eye was such a startling colour of red against the paling markings.

The body looked very freshly dead, and some telltale markings of cuts and scrapes to fins suggest what we all expect - that it is a casualty of a fishing net.

Spotting LIVE dolphins in rough weather is not easy, they must be close to the ship. Spotting dead dolphins is NEVER easy, even in good weather they have to be very close to the ship... which makes us wonder how many float by unseen in the whitecapped waves.

Even now there are still dolphins playing alongside the ship.

Willie, Campaigner

We've just found our first dead dolphin floating in the water. The sea is very rough and they are hard to spot - and even harder to retrieve when we have weather like this.

Normally we would put one of our Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) in the water but today we had a team of people trying to lassoo the body from the poop deck. After about an hour we finally managed to get a rope around it and bring it up on deck.

This morning we spotted lots of live dolphins and it's hard to explain the feeling when you then have a dead one on board. The colouring and markings are so beautiful. But the contrast when you can see all the telltale signs on its body caused by a struggle to escape from a fishing net - its dorsal fin and flippers had cuts and net marks, across its beak were more rope marks. And the colour of the blood - how can it be just so red?

Last year we found 12 dead dolphins - 11 of these were definately male. Yet again this one is a male dolphin. One more that your kids won't get to see.

Sarah, Campaigner

The last time I struggled to get my wellies on early in the morning was in a tent in a muddy field at Glastonbury. I guess that just goes to show the range of out-of-office experiences you get to have as a Greenpeace campaigner!

At about 9pm last night we spotted a pair of trawlers on the radar and decided to keep with them and pay them a visit at first light. I didn't need the unearthly wake up call as I slept fitfully and was already awake when Magali came to rouse us at 5.30am. The mates on watch had monitored the pair via the radar through the night. Their movements seemed a bit haphazard, and it looked like they'd only started fishing properly at 4.30am. We'd all guessed they *couldn't* be French trawlers who normally seem to operate much more slickly.

Donned in my thermals (including two pairs of socks) and a 'woolly bear' (which is kinda like a romper-suit for grown ups, and fleecy inside) I clambered into my boatsuit and wellies, donned gloves, hat, scarf and life jacket and waited for the Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) to be launched.

Alongside the ship we were treated to some great views of playful dolphins, with some nice formation jumping, emphasizing unnecessarily what we all know already - that where there are trawlers in this part of the Channel there tend to be dolphins too.

Once we got close enough to recognize the ships we saw they were in fact French - a pair of bright orange trawlers called the Thomas Nicolas and the Mary Christo. Frederic, my French counterpart, made radio contact (pictured) and explained why we were there. Again we asked that they stop fishing and leave the area - they didn't. They also seemed to acknowledge on the radio that the fishery did catch dolphins, as if it was just a fact of life we'd have to deal with...

We went back to the ship, thinking it'd be many hours 'til they hauled - but they caught us unaware. By the time we noticed the vessels were coming together and launched a RIB they had already hauled in. They did stop fishing then and steamed away.

I'm sure we'll encounter them another day.

Willie, Campaigner

For the past 24 hours I, and some other crew members who are not so seaworthy, have been doing our level best to stave off a little 'mal de mer'. To quote Sarah, the sea is 'getting a bit lumpy out here'.

Yesterday, we traversed the Channel down to the French side, waking up this morning with the silhouette of the Channel Island Guernsey in the distance, and 'welcome to France' messages on our mobile phones.

Sunday on the ship is, where possible, a day of rest. The normal working hours don't apply, and the crew can let their hair down on a Saturday night in the knowledge that there is no 7.30am wake up call and no 8.00am chores.

Today is Bent's birthday [Happy Birthday Bent!]. Sabine, the onboard boat mechanic, has made some delicious cheesecake to celebrate. Like last year, in 'down-time' it seems a lot of people have turned to knitting. Sabine's making a scarf, Sarah's planning a hat, Huw's started a jumper (hats are too easy, he says) and Kate informs me that she's knitting a camera bag - although I'm a bit too awake to believe her.

Meanwhile we've spent most of the day on the lookout, for both our flippered and fishing-netted friends, with limited luck.

The ship is very quiet with the lack of the normal working routine. Although I have to be honest - I've spent most of the day in my bunk with a book, watching the portholes opposite blink lethargically between sea and sky.

Willie, Campaigner

Hi - I'm Jo the assistant cook. And WOW - what can I say? Having been on board for a few days the reality that this is really happening is only just sinking in. So far I have loved everything - other than feeling a little queasy earlier today, but that seems to have passed.

I have never been on a ship before and I'm overwhelmed by how complex and intricate an operation it is and how professional the crew are. Being assistant cook is fantastic. Long days but so worth it. Everyone is always grateful to you and you know where all the nice things are stored!

I have been very lucky with Loic the chef - he is fantastic - an excellent cook and great to work with. Also he's French, so it's great language practice for me.

I have also been very lucky in that I am sharing my cabin with a lovely girl called Natasha who is from Malta. Having said that, so far I've found most of the crew to be really friendly and understanding about people being new. The thing here is to try - no-one expects you to know things straightaway but they expect you to ask if there's a problem and to pull your weight the best you can.

Coming from the Greenpeace office it is also amazing to really see this campaign in action. We have been very lucky and saw what felt like hundreds of dolphins on the day we set sail. They were crowding round the poop deck - apparently they love it there. I have never seen them so close. It was absolutely amazing. They are so beautiful and energetic that it really has brought home the reality of why this campaign is so important.

I can't wait to get trained and spend time up on the bridge 'dolphin-spotting'. I don't want to think about how distressing it will be when we start hauling in mutilated dead dolphins.

Finding the same pair trawlers that the tour tagged last year was also very exciting. Although I was just watching our Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) from the bridge, it all felt very real to be out there making our case. The boats turned back to port - but I'm sure we'll see them again...

Jo, Assistant cook

Just after lunchtime yesterday we made our first contact with pair trawlers. First, the sight of two parallel blips on the radar some of us are all too familiar with. Then we could see them as a pair of dots on the horizon. Once we'd got closer we could recognise through the binoculars the two UK trawlers, Ocean Star and Ocean Crest (pictured).

This pair was encountered last year fishing here for sea bass, and has been down in this area pair trawling since November this season. Ocean Star and Ocean Crest have been observed over the past few years, and we *know* they kill dolphins while fishing. Last year onboard observers witnessed 169 common dolphins killed as bycatch by UK bass pair trawlers alone.

We made radio contact with the pair trawlers - who didn't seem very keen to respond. We explained to them why were here, and that their fishing operation was endangering the common dolphin population in the area. We asked them to stop fishing and move out of the area. We then started to launch a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) to have a closer look and document their fishing operation.

Just as we launched the RIB the pair started moving together. From experience we know this means they're probably coming together so that one boat can take the net and haul it in. Sure enough they hauled the net, which was completely empty. Then they reset the net and started fishing again, but hauled in a few minutes later, and started steaming off towards Plymouth.

We spent the night at anchor. This morning we're heading out again to look for more trawlers...

Willie, Campaigner

Waking up on our first full day at sea I was relieved to find the weather was still on our side. So far we've been lucky to have gentle weather that eases us land-lubbers into this sailing malarkey much more pleasantly. Just as long as it doesn't lull us into a false sense of security.

The other benefit of good weather is that we have been able to get the 'dolphin-spotting' survey up and running quite quickly. On board we have a team of three WDCS scientists who are running this survey programme - and already they've been busy.

Yesterday afternoon and this morning were chock-a-block with common dolphin sightings - most of which came to visit the ship. A lot of the dolphins we've seen so far are accompanied by calves or juveniles, which implies the adults are females. This is useful information for the scientific team to have.

Out on the bridge wings, armed with binoculars and a thermal mug full of the hot beverage of their choice, they survey a 90 degree patch of sea in front of the ship. The aim is to do this (weather permitting) for as much time as possible in the daylight hours.

Hopefully the survey team will be able to gain more knowledge about the importance of this area to dolphins (and whales and porpoises) at this time of year. Last year's survey is explained in the WDCS summary report, the first survey of its kind in this area at this time of year. It will certainly be interesting to compare the data from this year and last year to notice any patterns or differences.

The other good news from today is that I spotted the first porpoise of the trip so far, they're far trickier to see than dolphins are, you know.

It's 10.30 am and we've just had a call that there are some UK pair trawlers nearby... so we've changed course to go and have a look. In the meantime the survey work keeps going.

Willie, Campaigner

We've just seen our first common dolphins! Last year we departed from London and it was a few days before any dolphins or porpoises appeared. That's probably because dolphins and porpoises aren't as numerous in the eastern end of the English Channel.

Nevertheless, seeing dolphins so soon after leaving port is a heartening sight. It means our press officer Niall has made good on his promise to the journalist who has set sail with us that she'd 'definitely see dolphins'.

And it was quite a show - we had dolphins with the ship for about two hours. Many of them could have been the same individuals, and they all came to 'visit' the Esperanza - taking time to play around the bow or ride alongside.

They were quite energetic, jumping clear out of the water and giving us marvellous views of their markings in the light. In dull weather, or if you've never seen them close up, it's easy to think that dolphins are all just varying shades of grey. In fact common dolphins have a colourful mix of black, white, grey and gold, and distinctive 'hourglass' markings across their sides. This was a bit of a surprise to some of the team with us who'd never had quite as good a view before.

However entertaining the dolphins are, the Greenpeace crew can usually beat them. Magali, one of our deckhands, was doing her level best to encourage our dolphin escort to put on the best possible show. She was shouting at them to 'give a big jump' and then loudly cheering and applauding them when they did. She's sure they understood her. If so, that's quite a talent to have!

Willie, Campaigner

Hello and welcome to our weblog!

We've just set sail from Falmouth aboard our ship, the MV Esperanza, to tackle the issue of dolphin and porpoise bycatch where it's happening - out at sea.

It's that time of year again, when trawling fishing vessels and dolphins are at their most numerous in the western English Channel. Every year thousands of dolphins and porpoises get trapped in trawler nets and drown. These 'non-targeted' species are also known as 'bycatch'.

In the year since we were last in Cornwall a lot has happened in the political world on the issue of bycatch in general, and dolphins and pair trawling in particular.

Actually, correct that: a lot has been *said* by politicians, but nothing has actually been *done* to stop dolphins and porpoises from dying in fishing nets around our shores. In the past year both UK and EU governments have squandered the opportunity to really tackle this issue.

The carcasses are still washing up on our beaches, and thousands more sink without trace at sea.

For the past few days we've been in dock in Falmouth, proudly flying a Cornish flag of course. We've taken on equipment, supplies, and some new crew - and we've been itching to set sail.

This enthusiasm has doubtless been helped by the fantastic weather over the past couple of days, and our fingers are crossed that it lasts.

The Esperanza has a full complement: crew, campaign team, and an independent team of scientists from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) who will again be carrying out survey work on whale, dolphin and porpoise populations in the area.

This weblog will bring you the latest news on what's happening at sea, and on land, in our campaign. You can also meet the team (more profiles coming!) and get a feeling for what life is like on the Esperanza in the English Channel.

Happy reading!

Willie, Campaigner