THE number of dolphins is on the rise as the health of the coastal ecosystem improves.

Adur and Worthing Councils are calling for the help of locals and visitors to Sussex to build up a picture of when and where the sea creatures are visiting.

“Dolphin-spotting can be found at the top of holidaymakers’ itineraries for those jetting off to the Azores, South Africa or New Zealand,” a council spokeswoman said.

“Less well known is that in the summer months, bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins and white-beaked dolphins are more and more frequently being spotted off the Adur and Worthing coast.

“Despite the abundance of life off our stretch of coast, research into the habitats of large marine mammals in Sussex has been minimal.

“But this is something that Shoreham Port-based organisation Sussex Dolphin Project hopes to change - and it needs the public’s help.”

Thea Taylor, the project lead at Sussex Dolphin Project, said the overall number of sightings is growing across the county.

“We think that there were more dolphins here last year than there have been in the last three years,” she said.

“In the summer months, we get three or four sightings per week and last year we had 42 different sightings in total.

“The sightings help us understand the health of the population, determine which pods are interacting with each other and whether they are breeding.

“Last year we had quite a few sightings of pods with calves, which is really great - especially for the porpoises because it shows that they are breeding in the area.”

Through its citizen science scheme, Sussex Dolphin Project is hoping to encourage residents to send in photos and videos of any dolphins, porpoises or seals they spot while out on boats or on the beach this summer.

With this information, the organisation hopes to build a detailed picture of marine life in Sussex which it will use to develop conservation initiatives.

For more information on how to get involved, visit the Sussex Dolphin Project website.