A new three year research project on changing patterns of distribution and behaviour of dolphins along the North-east coast of Scotland is to be launched today (Thursday November 14) at Aberdeen Maritime Museum.
Bottlenose dolphins have increasingly been spotted along the coast of the North-east of Scotland but little is known as to why or to what extent they are appearing. Marine scientists at the University of Aberdeen will, over the next three years, look to collect baseline information and gain an insight into the dolphins’ behaviour and number. This information will then allow appropriate advice on their management and protection.
Day-to-day running of the project will be undertaken by Sarah Canning with supervision by Dr Graham Pierce of the Zoology Department and Dr Peter Evans of the Sea Watch Foundation, Oxford. Dr Evans said: “Bottlenose dolphins are one of the most familiar sea mammals living close to our coasts. The Moray Firth has long held an important population of this species. However, in the last 10 years bottlenose dolphins have been seen increasingly along the coast of Aberdeenshire. This project aims to better understand why these animals have started to grace the coastal waters here so that we can develop appropriate management procedures for their protection.”
Equal funding by three Aberdeen-based oil companies (TotalFinaElf Exploration UK PLC, Kerr-McGee North Sea (U.K.) Limited and Talisman Energy (UK) Limited) for the three year project has enabled research student Sarah Canning to be involved fulltime in the monitoring of dolphins. Sarah said: ”Up till now, monitoring of dolphins has largely been a spare time activity. This project, with the generous support of the three oil company sponsors will hopefully give us answers as to why and how many dolphins are extending their range outside the Moray Firth to the Aberdeenshire coast. Several possible reasons exist, but we hope to find out more over the next three years to allow further research to continue.”