English - Caribbean Environment Programme

Other areasOther areas assessed for bottlenose dolphins that received a score of less than four include theCeltic Sea, coastal south west England and Wyville-Thomson Ridge.6.1.3 SHORTBEAKED COMMON DOLPHINWest and south west Scotland1. Area: The Minches and the Sea of the Hebrides (see Figure 6.4, p.86)Time of year: At least summerConcentrations of animalsHigh absolute density estimate3Critical life processesSome evidence of importanceTotal25Assessment: Area of InterestSpatial modelling of density data indicated a high density area for the Sea of the Hebrides. Highrelative density estimates have also been produced for The Minch. Few data on the importance ofthe area for critical life processes exist but observations of feeding common dolphins have beenmade in The Minch with high proportions of groups with young calves suggesting possibleimportance for raising calves.84