The study will help guide conservation work and measures to protect wildlife around marine energy projects, which can now take into consideration the presence and migratory patterns of marine mammals. It will also provide valuable information for policy and licensing decisions related to maritime spatial planning, including offshore energy production.
The project allows for the detection and mapping of species as they move around over time. It also brings a better understanding of how we can protect cetaceans from the current threats, such as entanglement in fishing gear and the negative effects of ocean noise pollution.
The study was conducted using ten hydrophones (underwater microphones) lowered to the depths of between 60 and 175 metres, covering an area from the isles of Lewis and Barra to the west of St Kilda. More than 12 terabytes of data were gathered from the array of microphones.
- Project locations
- United Kingdom
- Overall budget
- €1 030 000
- EU contribution
- €772 50075% of the overall budget
- Project website
- Scottish Government
Results
- The passive acoustic data were the first collected in the region throughout the year, filling a significant gap during autumn and winter.
- The data indicated that sei, blue, sperm, and humpback whales were all present in the areas closest to the continental shelf, where water depth increases dramatically. As oceans warm, more species adapted to warmer waters come north in search of prey as they migrate.
- The number of detections increased during winter.
- The underwater sound data will assist in the statutory reporting of underwater noise levels.
Contact
- Organisation
- Marine Scotland Science
- marinescotland
gov [dot] scot