The charity MARINElife monitors population trends and movements of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), sharks and seabirds.
It has been offered free passage for its spotters aboard the Fastnet Line’s ferry Julia, which plies a route between Cork and Swansea.
The first of four surveys this year will be carried out from aboard the Julia on 7 July.
“The route from Swansea to Cork crosses a range of marine habitats and we hope it will generate many sightings of cetaceans and seabirds," says Adrian Shepherd, Chairman of MARINElife Trustees.
"These include two important species we monitor, the White-Beaked Dolphin and the Balearic Shearwater.”
Fastnet Line adds to other ferry companies which have supported MARINElife’s work. Its spotters have been carried by Brittany Ferries, P&O and DFDS Seaways, on routes across the Bay of Biscay, English Channel and North Sea.
“By using a standardised approach across multiple ferry routes, we are able to use the data to build a picture of the marine environment in the European Atlantic,” adds Shepherd.
MARINElife – www.marine-life.org.uk