Risso's dolphin  (Grampus griseus)

This dolphin is vulnerable to hunting (5) and environmental change, chemical and noise pollution (8), and entanglement in fishing nets, which results in drowning (5).

A UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species, Risso's dolphin is protected in UK waters by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Orders, 1985; it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, or harass any cetacean (whale or dolphin) species in UK waters (4). The Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS) has been signed by seven European countries, including the UK. Provision is made under this agreement to set up protected areas, promote research and monitoring, pollution control and increase public awareness (4).