Utilisation of Orkney waters by seals

Utilisation of space by grey and harbour seals in the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters
Orkney is a key UK location for the development of wave and tidal renewable energy technology. Its waters are also important for grey and harbour seals. Both species are resident, using the area for all aspects of their life cycle.

What is the client’s challenge in this project?
SMRU and SMRU Ltd were commissioned by SNH and funded by Marine Scotland to use existing SMRU survey (of seals hauled out on land) and telemetry (at sea) data to investigate the spatial and temporal overlap between seals and potential wet renewable energy device lease areas.

What has SMRU Ltd delivered?
Our report describing this work will be published by SNH in due course. The findings will be useful for SNH and developers alike.