Marine

Surveying basking sharks in Scotland

August 31, 2016 by Marine Scotland Communications No Comments | Category Collaborations, Compliance

In 2014, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) put forward ‎the Sea of the Hebrides Marine Protected Area (MPA) proposal, on the west coast of Scotland, with the features of interest including both basking sharks and minke whale.

Work has recently been commissioned by SNH to undertake a series of ultra-high resolution digital video surveys for marine megafauna in the Sea of Hebrides MPA proposal area – and they will have Marine Scotland’s help in doing it.

The surveys, which will be undertaken this summer, have been specially designed to provide detailed information on basking sharks and minke whale, as well as piloting an approach that could form the baseline by which mobile species can be assessed going forward.

A further aspect of the project is the delivery of a scoping report to consider all potential options for collecting this valuable wildlife data.  To make sure that this is produced in a robust and unbiased manner, a team of subject experts has been pulled together, including the Sea Mammal Research Unit’s consultancy arm and specialist environmental consultancy, BiOME.

More information on the Sea of the Hebrides MPA proposal can be found on the SNH website: www.snh.gov.uk

Further Information

• Marine Scotland fleet information

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