Marine animals

In the UK, if you come across a sighting of a stranded/deceased whale, porpoise or seal please contact the CSIP hotline on  0800 652 0333 to make them aware of the situation. The police/local authorities can be contacted too for extra support if required. Please do not touch the animal - it may contain diseases unknown to humans.

CSIP documents the reasons why strandings happen. They undertake research from samples of the animal to collect data to figure out why these situations happen.

By reporting these strandings, CSIP can work with The Wildlife Trust (telephone 01636 677711) to identify the causes leading up to deaths and come up with ways to combat them.

If you witness someone intentionally trying to harm marine life, you should immediately report it to the police with details of your location, the time/date and a description of the event. This is considered a serious crime.

The correct authorities to call in this situation is your local police station or local Marine Management Organisation body (telephone 0300 123 1032).

Oil spills

Oil spills are very harmful to our marine life. If an oil spill happens, your local Coastguard should be contacted. If you can visibly see the spill - stay out of the water and let them know the general location.

The Pollution Response In Emergencies Marine Impact Assessment And Monitoring (PREMIAM) (telephone 0300 200 2024) will need to be notified. They have a collective interest in open water oil spills and the protection of the marine environment.

If a mammal gets washed up because of a spill, CSIP and Coastguard (telephone 999 or 112 and ask for local Coastguard) will have to be called for disposal purposes. A representative from Marine Pollution may be called to examine/take samples before disposal.