experts record sights and sounds of the sea
All eyes on the Moray Firth for survey of marine wildlife
Published:
While the eyes of marine enthusiasts were on the beached sperm whale near Inverness yesterday, another team of experts took to the sea off the Moray coast to investigate what other species are living there.
Members of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society are staging the third of four seasonal surveys of the outer firth, recording all the sights and sounds of wildlife, but confessed it should have happened sooner.
It is hoped that the project – the first systematic survey of the area – will inform future decisions about activities in the Moray Firth, including oil, gas and renewable developments.
The Press and Journal joined the team as they sailed from Buckie yesterday morning for the second day of the operation.
The team will spend two weeks onboard the Gemini Storm, skippered by George Mair, recording every sighting of dolphins, whales and porpoises, as well as birds.
They are using a hydrophone – attached to a 700ft length of cable – to listen to the sounds of cetaceans under the water.
WDCS’s lead for policy in Scotland Sarah Dolman said: “From our point of view, this should have happened already. We are kind of playing catch-up.
“The Moray Firth is a diverse area and an important region in Scotland. There are lots of marine species that rely on it. Lots of those species are known to be out here but there has been no systematic survey of the area.
“The only way we can protect these species is by going out there and understanding the Moray Firth better. Secondly, with the increase in oil and gas licences and renewable energy, it is more important then ever that we understand the marine environment and make decisions about what activities we allow there.”
The hope is that the marine environment might soon have specially protected areas, like some land environments.
Following a set course, each member of the team performed a role in observing the sea, listening to the hydrophone and logging all sightings.
The survey hopes to travel up to 250 miles of sea by the end of the fortnight.
Alice Pope, a former teacher from Philadelphia, said: “It’s great to get out on the water and create information rather than reading it.”
Miss Pope, with other members of the team, works full-time at the WDCS’s wildlife centre at Spey Bay.
While yesterday’s weather made it difficult to spot anything among the waves – just two porpoise and a seal were sighted – the previous day the team had seen a feeding frenzy including minke whales, porpoise and gannets.
Manning the hydrophone, Simon Keith said that the equipment helped researchers hear sounds made by animals which the human ear could not hear – anything above 19khz.
But only one distinctive “click” was heard, which may have been made by a porpoise.
Director of science Mark Simmonds said: “This will fill in our gaps. There is very little information about what is going on in the outer Moray Firth. The Inner Moray Firth has been intensely studied for many years.
“We hope that it will give a better understanding of the area for those people who are thinking of developing in the area.
“It is more difficult to know what is going on underneath the surface but there is a huge increase in the developments, like wind farms. Balancing these with the marine environment is going to be incredibly difficult.”
