Latest news with #motorboat
Times
5 days ago
- Times
Motorboats blamed for injuring pod of dolphins in Cornwall
Motorboat users in Cornwall are being blamed for severely injuring a pod of dolphins as conservationists say it is 'madness' that no licence is required to pilot a powered craft. At least five maimed common dolphins were spotted off the south coast between Fowey and Mevagissey. Three dolphins had dorsal fins severely sliced open or bent over and two had them cut off. One had a damaged beak. Rebecca Allen, a marine conservation officer at the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said it had received reports of 'boats in the area just going straight towards and even through pods of dolphins'. 'That might be because they haven't seen them or they think they can go through them and they will bowride, which isn't what happens,' she said. 'Unfortunately anyone can buy a powered motorcraft and go out on the water. You now see everything from electric powered hydrofoils to jet skis and rigid inflatable boats. 'No one has to do a qualification and that to me seems complete madness with our waterways getting more and more busy.' If a boat has a motor under 10 horsepower, you don't need a licence to drive it for recreational purposes. There has been anger from locals at the injuries caused to the creatures. Lianne Venning, from Lostwithiel, said: 'We were watching some people the other day following dolphins and seals. They did not have any respect for the animals.' Gill Pryce, another resident, blamed 'toffs down on holiday from London thinking they own the place, with no respect for the county because they don't live here'. Cornwall Wildlife Trust has received video showing injured dolphins recorded by crew on the Mevagissey-to-Fowey ferry on Sunday. • 24 of the best things to do in Cornwall James Barnett, a veterinary pathologist from the Cornwall marine pathology team, said the injuries had most likely come about from impact with high-speed watercraft or propellers. It is illegal in the UK to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure or disturb cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Over the past ten years the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Seaquest surveys, carried out by volunteers, have shown sightings of common dolphins have gone from being a relatively rare sight to being seen on more than a third of the two-hour surveys. Allen said: 'We are seeing common dolphins more often and right the way through the year. 'There definitely seems to have been a shift to our inshore waters, probably after food but we are not sure what has caused that. While this can lead to spectacular encounters for us, it also brings them into our very busy coastal waterways.' Water users are being urged to keep at a low speed after spotting animals and to follow government guidelines if they see them, which is to reduce to a slow 'no-wake' speed and keep to a safe distance of at least 100m. Allen said coastal waters had become significantly busier with recreational boats in recent years, especially since the pandemic, when there was a rise in powered craft sales. In 2021-22 total revenue in powered craft sales reached 6.5 per cent above pre-pandemic levels. Imports of inboard and outboard powerboats rose by 32 per cent, while rigid inflatable boats had a 66 per cent increase and outboard engines rose by 40 per cent. Allen said: 'Sometimes dolphins are curious and might come and investigate your craft but quite often they have other things to do. They could be asleep or feeding. Quite often they will have calves with them. 'Driving straight at them won't make them bowride — it will make them get out of the area.' • This is the coolest scene in Cornwall right now She said the dorsal fin was used for stability in the water and heat regulation, as it contains a lot of blood vessels. 'They cannot grow back,' she said. 'Where they are flopped over or cut off, that is going to stay like that. 'Maybe they won't be able to swim and turn so quickly, so it might harm their feeding, but it's so hard to study the impacts.'
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Whale killed and passenger thrown overboard after boat collision in New Jersey
A whale was killed after it was struck by a motorboat off the New Jersey shore, with the forceful collision sending one passenger overboard. Video footage shared online of the sudden collision showed the motorboat rocking back and forth as the 20-foot-long minke whale swam away in Barnegat Bay on Saturday afternoon. The crash nearly tipped the boat over and sent one passenger flying overboard into the water. The person who went overboard was able to tread water next to the boat until they were saved, authorities said. The whale was later found dead after it went to rest on a sandbar in shallow water, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a non-profit rescue and release organization, said. Officials with the organization weren't able to reach within 30 yards of the whale due to tidal conditions and were therefore unable to conduct a more in-depth examination of the animal, the organization said in a statement. 'At this point, we really don't have much to go on,' Jay Pagel, the stranding coordinator at the center, told the Associated Press. 'The side of the animal that we were able to observe had no obvious marks on it that we could see. But again, our visibility was very limited.' Pagel said there were reports that the whale had been injured before the collision. He also noted other video footage shows the whale appearing to make contact with a pontoon boat after the first accident. The whale will be towed to a state park on Monday for a necropsy, which will determine its official cause of death. The necropsy is expected to take several hours to complete. The agency is now urging boaters to use caution in the area and to keep at least 150 feet away from the whale carcass for the time being. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Whale killed and passenger thrown overboard after boat collision in New Jersey
A whale was killed after it was struck by a motorboat off the New Jersey shore, with the forceful collision sending one passenger overboard. Video footage shared online of the sudden collision showed the motorboat rocking back and forth as the 20-foot-long minke whale swam away in Barnegat Bay on Saturday afternoon. The crash nearly tipped the boat over and sent one passenger flying overboard into the water. The person who went overboard was able to tread water next to the boat until they were saved, authorities said. The whale was later found dead after it went to rest on a sandbar in shallow water, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a non-profit rescue and release organization, said. Officials with the organization weren't able to reach within 30 yards of the whale due to tidal conditions and were therefore unable to conduct a more in-depth examination of the animal, the organization said in a statement. 'At this point, we really don't have much to go on,' Jay Pagel, the stranding coordinator at the center, told the Associated Press. 'The side of the animal that we were able to observe had no obvious marks on it that we could see. But again, our visibility was very limited.' Pagel said there were reports that the whale had been injured before the collision. He also noted other video footage shows the whale appearing to make contact with a pontoon boat after the first accident. The whale will be towed to a state park on Monday for a necropsy, which will determine its official cause of death. The necropsy is expected to take several hours to complete. The agency is now urging boaters to use caution in the area and to keep at least 150 feet away from the whale carcass for the time being.
The Independent
03-08-2025
- General
- The Independent
Whale killed and passenger thrown overboard after boat collision in New Jersey
A whale was killed after it was struck by a motorboat off the New Jersey shore, with the forceful collision sending one passenger overboard. Video footage shared online of the sudden collision showed the motorboat rocking back and forth as the 20-foot-long minke whale swam away in Barnegat Bay on Saturday afternoon. The crash nearly tipped the boat over and sent one passenger flying overboard into the water. The person who went overboard was able to tread water next to the boat until they were saved, authorities said. The whale was later found dead after it went to rest on a sandbar in shallow water, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a non-profit rescue and release organization, said. Officials with the organization weren't able to reach within 30 yards of the whale due to tidal conditions and were therefore unable to conduct a more in-depth examination of the animal, the organization said in a statement. 'At this point, we really don't have much to go on,' Jay Pagel, the stranding coordinator at the center, told the Associated Press. 'The side of the animal that we were able to observe had no obvious marks on it that we could see. But again, our visibility was very limited.' Pagel said there were reports that the whale had been injured before the collision. He also noted other video footage shows the whale appearing to make contact with a pontoon boat after the first accident. The whale will be towed to a state park on Monday for a necropsy, which will determine its official cause of death. The necropsy is expected to take several hours to complete. The agency is now urging boaters to use caution in the area and to keep at least 150 feet away from the whale carcass for the time being.
CBS News
15-06-2025
- CBS News
2 men in critical condition after boat crash near Stockton's Buckley Cove
STOCKTON – Two men are in the hospital after two boats collided near Buckley Cove in Stockton on Saturday, police said. The crash happened around 11:45 a.m. near the Deep Water Channel and Buckley Cove, police said. Officers said an investigation revealed that one person was onboard a motorboat that collided with a sailboat. Two men on the sailboat, ages 64 and 78, were taken to the hospital and are listed in critical condition, police said. Stockton police are investigating the crash.
