A team of environmental activists have returned to a north-east harbour as part of their campaign to “save the seals”.
Controversial conservation group Sea Shepherd UK clashed with the Scottish Wild Salmon Company (SWSC) in the tiny fishing village of Gardenstown last year.
The group accused the family-run salmon fishery firm of shooting and killed a seal before its members started patrolling Gamrie Bay.
Now the conservationists have returned to continue their campaign to protect seals.
Sea Shepherd spokesman, Robert Read, said: “Sea Shepherd UK has deployed a seal defence crew to Gamrie Bay, in the first phase of our 2015 campaign to prevent Scotland’s iconic seals from being killed illegally by coastal netting fishing operations, fish farms or indeed anyone else in Scotland.
“This year’s deployment of a seal defence crew and a fast rigid inflatable boat to Gardenstown harbour coincides with the start of the wild salmon netting season.
“SWSC claimed to have shot a seal before we arrived in 2014 and prevented any further seals being killed at this location for the rest of 2014.”
Mr Read added that the deployment of the defence crew to the north-east marked the started of a wider campaign across the country.
However, SWSC director George Pullar rejected the Sea Shepherd allegations last night.
He said: “We’re doing everything we’re entitled to legally. Our job is catching salmon and we have to protect our livelihood. We just want to go about our business.
“We’ve invested thousands to improve our nets and we’re working with the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St Andrews.
“We’ve altered the size of our nets and we’re doing trials to find the optimum size.”
Sea Shepherd is currently offering a £5,000 bounty for any evidence which leads to the prosecution of an individual or company for killing seals illegally around the coast of the UK.