With your support we have kept three big threats to the Moray Firth dolphins at bay:

1. Oil and Gas: As a result of our campaign, the UK government still has not issued any licenses to oil companies to begin seismic exploration. It’s looking as though it’s too late to carry out this activity this year as winter will soon be here.

2. Marina development: With your support we successfully opposed proposals to build a huge leisure complex and marina at Whiteness within the dolphins’ protected area.

And, after a government funded report calculated that recreational boat numbers could already be at capacity in the the dolphins’ protected area we successfully campaigned for no new commercial boats to be allowed in Inverness Marina.

3. Military exercises: The MoD has kept its massive military exercise Joint Warrior out of the Moray Firth for 2010 following our concerns. We have been successful so far but the campaign continues.

These are three significant victories for the dolphins so thank you for your support!

These problems have not gone away but we have managed to hold them at bay…for now.

We still need your help to continue our campaign to protect these vulnerable dolphins and there are two things that you can do:

1. Sponsor our patron and BBC presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff as she jumps out of a plane to raise funds for our Protect Our Dolphins campaign. Bad weather meant that she was unable to jump as planned last week so you still have time to sponsor her as she tries again!

2. There is still a public consultation open to get people’s thoughts on developing another potential oil and gas exploration site within the SAC. Comments can be received until 12th October – so please write to the Department for Energy and Climate Change the literature and details are found here:
http://www.offshore-sea.org.uk/downloads/Block_17-3_HRA_Revised_Draft.pdf

Thank you – together we can give these amazing animals the protection and the future they deserve.