A young female bottle-nosed dolphin is found washed up

The project will see volunteers from the Silver Dolphin Centre at Porthleven on board fishing vessels to record data.

The fishermen hope the research will provide evidence to prove the Cornish fleet is not to blame for the increase in dolphin deaths.

Since the start of January this year, 114 dolphins have been washed ashore in Devon and Cornwall, an increase of more than 27% on 2002.

Conservationists say they are seeing the signs of dolphins dying in fishing nets in many of those found on beaches.

They blame pair trawlers from Holland, Scotland and France which use huge nets to catch sea bass.

But fishermen in Cornwall do not use pair trawlers, and are anxious to clear their name.

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Paul Trebilcock, of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation, said: "Big foreign pair trawlers are targeting the bass.

"But here in Cornwall we have some of the most responsible fishermen in Europe, and we want to address this problem."

David Ball of the Silver Dolphin Centre, said: "We believe that conservation groups like ourselves should work with local fishermen.

"We are sure it is the European pair trawlers that are doing the damage, but we just need to get the evidence so we can take it to the government."

Fisheries minister Eliot Morley has blamed the lack of evidence for the lack of action.

The first observers aim to join the fishermen within the next two weeks.