There are over 120 dolphins living in Cardigan Bay

Dolphins in Cardigan Bay have had their very own officer appointed to look after their welfare.

A new post of Special Area of Conservation Officer in Ceredigion has been created to raise awareness of the bay's resident dolphin population.

The man in the job, 26-year-old Jamie Davies, has described himself as "very lucky" for landing his post.

His role is to work with local agencies, residents and visitors to ensure the bottlenose dolphin population and their habitat is kept intact for the future.

Cardigan Bay was designated a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) because of its resident dolphin population, and is one of just three areas in Britain to gain its status because of the animals.

But Mr Davies is thought to be the first officer with a dedicated role for dolphins.

He came to the job following study in marine geography, a master's degree and a 14-month stint in the Philippines studying humpback whales.

It's the whole marine environment we're promoting Jamie Davies

Although he works out of Ceredigion council offices in Aberaeron, he is employed by the seven agencies involved in managing the SAC.

He has three roles: pulling together the work of the agencies; doing outreach work among residents, schools and tourists; and acting as the point of contact and public relations face for the SAC.

Cardigan Bay was put forward as an SAC in 1997, but it was not until 2001 that a management plan for the area was put in place.

Latest estimates identify a resident population of 127 dolphins, but from July to October the numbers can rise to 400 as more come to the area, probably following fish groups.

Mr Davies said of his job: "It's very proactive. The locals are very much involved in management and they have had an active role in it from the beginning."

Awareness

Mr Davies said although the dolphins were the focus initially, they were now looking at the marine environment as a whole.

"The main issue is that we have a code of conduct for recreational boat use, but we get a lot of people just coming in for a short period and they don't seem to be aware of the dolphins and how they affect them.

"There still hasn't been a wide enough awareness of that.

"In terms of local commercial boat users, they are complying very well. It's working in this area in a way it isn't working in others," he said.

A problem that was more difficult to detect was threats of pollution, he added.

He is now preparing information packs to use with school children, and come the summer will be on the beach, working with children and tourists visiting the area.

He added: "I'm choosing 'honey pot spots', where there are a lot of tourists, and will be going down there with a board with education materials and activities.

"We're trying to move away just from the dolphins. It's the whole marine environment we're promoting."