Marine

New method for estimating the risk of collision between harbour seals and tidal turbines

June 9, 2016 by Marine Scotland Communications No Comments | Category Marine Directorate Science, Marine Renewables

As the offshore marine renewables industry grows, the way that marine mammals interact with these are of particular importance. This is especially true of tidal devices and one particular concern is the risk of collision between these animals and rotating turbine blades below the sea surface.

A new report has been published, commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage and Marine Scotland, which describes a new method for estimating the risk of collision between harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and tidal turbines. It’s part of a wider package of studies intended to improve understanding of potential interactions between marine mammals and marine renewable devices.

The methods developed in this report bring together several different pieces of scientific data:

• The analysis of site-specific seal movement data
• A hypothetical tidal turbine array layout in the Pentland Firth
• Seal tracking studies in 2011
• Seal population survey data for harbour seals in the Pentland Firth and Orkney area

Marine Scotland, as part of its Demonstration Strategy for tidal energy, is funding a further project to design sophisticated combinations of underwater instruments (sonar devices, acoustic monitors, cameras, etc) to observe the interactions between tidal turbines and a range of animals, including harbour seals, diving seabirds and fish.

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