British Divers Marine Life Rescue

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) is a British charity established in 1988 and is a frontline marine mammal response organisation.

Background

BDMLR operates primarily in the United Kingdom and its territorial waters. However, the charity has received requests for assistance from international locations including Canada, the Falkland Islands, Kenya, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malta, and Abu Dhabi.

Mission and Operations

BDMLR utilizes a network of trained volunteers around the country to respond to marine mammals potentially in need of assistance through a public 24-hour hotline and callout system. The organisation specializes primarily in pinniped (seals) and cetacean (porpoises, dolphins, and whales) rescue. Additionally, they also respond to stranded sea turtles, sharks, oiled sea birds, and large whales entangled at sea.

Training and Resources

BDMLR has developed a Marine Mammal Medic training program, through which they have trained over 20,000 medics worldwide. To complement this program, they have produced a Marine Mammal Medic Handbook for stranded cetaceans. In 2008, they received training from the Provincetown Centre for Coastal Studies (PCCS) in Maine, USA, on rescuing entangled large free-swimming whales. By 2013, this expertise was adapted to form the BDMLR Large Whale Disentanglement Team (LWDT).

Structure and Support

BDMLR is operated entirely by volunteers and is a registered charity with the registration number 803438. The organisation maintains a wide range of equipment strategically placed throughout the UK to deal with marine animal strandings, oil spills, fishing gear entanglement, and other marine distress scenarios. This includes rescue boats, equipment trailers, whale and dolphin pontoon sets, a whale disentanglement kit, and medic kits with essential supplies.

Role in Emergency Services

BDMLR works closely with other emergency services, such as HM Coastguard, Police, RSPCA, and SSPCA, not only responding to calls but also providing training to their staff. The charity is the only organisation operating across England, Wales, and Scotland dedicated solely to marine animal rescue.