Dolphins Frolic and Birds Soar: On Patrol with the Environmental Police

Granville (Manche), report

Suddenly, the twin-engine zodiac of the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) slows down from a cruising speed of about 10 knots to nearly a standstill. On this late September morning, less than two hours after leaving the port of Granville in Normandy, a group of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) is spotted.

A procedure is initiated: each officer scans a section of the ocean surface, and as one of them spots a distinctive movement indicating a marine mammal, the whole team pauses, surrounded by the unusually calm sea. The crew is bustling—it’s definitely marine mammals.

« The behavior of dolphins varies; they might approach us, but we always keep a respectful distance, just close enough to take pictures,” explains Pierre Scolan, environmental inspector at the OFB. Once the animals are clearly identified, we switch to tracking mode aiming for identification photos. »

While better known for its terrestrial environmental protection roles, the environmental police also operate at sea to « enhance knowledge of biodiversity and the functionality of coastal and marine ecosystems to support the monitoring and assessment of the ecological state of these environments », as per their official mandates.

In other words, they monitor sensitive maritime areas affected by human activities and enrich biodiversity knowledge by counting protected species, including bottlenose dolphins. Although listed as « least concern » on the IUCN Red List, their status varies by region.

For the past year, having spent about 200 hours at sea, the OFB’s Manche department has been patrolling along the Normandy coast using this swift vessel.

Luckily, the blowers—another name for bottlenose dolphins, also known as dolphins with large noses—are playful and swirl around the Cérianthe, the state’s gray semi-rigid boat. Besides providing a nearly magical moment, the photos are perfect for later identification by GECC, the Cotentin Cetacean Study Group and Marine Mammals of the English Channel, which is responsible for downstream identification and cataloging of marine mammals.

Encountering such creatures here is not surprising: the area likely hosts the largest population of coastal bottlenose dolphins in Europe. However, monitoring their population (estimated at about 400 individuals) is just one aspect of the OFB agents’ maritime missions.

In practice, the zodiac operates mainly in the Channel, the Cotentin but especially in the protected marine area of Chausey and its Natura 2000 site, stretching from the northern part of the Granville island district nearly to Pointe du Groin in Brittany.

On September 30, the date of our report, the patrol covered nearly 60 nautical miles (about 111 km) over seven hours around Chausey, near the territorial waters of Jersey, and then towards Brittany.

« The main concerns here are the birds, the nesting colonies », details Arnaud Guigny, another inspector. « In Chausey, there are nationally important colonies like the crested cormorant, the oystercatcher, and the herring gull. The other main focus is on marine habitats and species, particularly seagrass beds. »

During our trip, over 576 birds from seven different species were counted at sea by the officers and recorded in a database. A meticulous count often overlooked by the public. « We wear two hats, explains the third officer on board. We are environmental technicians: we monitor different ecosystems and populations. And we are also environmental inspectors, with reports and investigations under the authority of the prosecutor. »

During our sea outing, only two small boats were inspected to verify the legality of their catches. This provided an opportunity to offer advice on the legal size and number of caught animals.

After that, we headed towards Cancale to continue observations, this time at a higher speed. Hundreds of birds are noted, then a new group of bottlenose dolphins appears. These are more distant and difficult to photograph: the importance of the photos lies in the fins, which display unique scars on each individual for identification. As time passes, the Cérianthe heads back to refuel and prepare for upcoming outings, aiming for the next high tides.