Latest News and information on Scotland’s Wildlife
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Winter Cold Snap
28/10/2008
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Beaver set for comeback
26/05/2008
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Draft Marine Bill
03/03/2008
The draft Marine Bill was published, for consultation, on 3 April 2008.
Deadline for comments is 26 June 2008.
The Marine Bill will ensure clean healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas, by putting in place better systems for delivering sustainable development of marine and coastal environment.
The key issues covered are:
- the creation of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO);
- planning in the marine area;
- licensing activities in the marine area;
- marine nature conservation;
- managing marine fisheries;
- reform of inland and migratory fisheries;
- modernisation and streamlining of enforcement powers;
- administrative penalties scheme for domestic fisheries offences;
- access to coastal land.
Please view the following you further Information;
Marine Bill Newsletter April 2008
DEFRA, UK
Please click to read the full report
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Fort George Repairs to avoid dolphins
18/02/2008
Major repairs to an 18th Century artillery fort are to be timed to avoid noise and vibrations from heavy machinery from scaring away dolphins.
The south walls of Fort George, on the Moray Firth near Inverness, have fallen victim to erosion.
To allow work to be done, a massive barrier, called rock armour, is to be built to shield the walls from the sea.
Owners Historic Scotland have consulted with wildlife experts on how to protect the firth’s bottlenose dolphins.
The waters are visited by as many as 130 of the marine mammals between May and September. Historic Scotland said it was unclear exactly why the pod favour the area but it was likely to because it was crucial to breeding and feeding.
Dolphins often come as close as 20m from the fort.The agency has taken advice from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to find ways of building a large rock barrier.
We know that vibration from shore-side machinery travels some distance into the water and the effect can be to startle them so they leave .
Ben Leyshon SNHTwo 14-tonne excavators and a large dumper truck are being tasked to the job, which should be finished before the dolphins return.James MacPherson, Historic Scotland district architect, said: “The dolphins love the waters round the fort, in fact lots of visitors come here in the hope of seeing them playing in the water.“As we were carrying out a major project to create a rock armour barrier along the edge of the water we were obviously concerned about the impact on the environment.”
BBC NEW
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Marine mammal returns to bridge
07/05/2008
A marine mammal not seen regularly in the sea around the Kessock Bridge at Inverness for a number of years may be making a comeback.
Charlie Phillips, of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, said porpoise sightings had been reported.
They were most likely preying on sand eels, he added.
The fish are also known to be food to seabirds, including common tern and gannet which have been seen from the bridge.
Mr Phillips added he had seen a bottlenose dolphin and its calf in the area in recent weeks.
The road and pedestrian crossing marks the boundaries of the Moray and Beauly firths.
Mr Phillips said: “There are possibly shoals of sand eels as gannet and common tern have also been seen diving into the water.”
He said porpoise had not been seen around the bridge with any frequency for a number of years, but several have been sighted so far this year.
The mammals have smaller triangular dorsal fins than dolphins, which also make “more of a commotion” than porpoise when hunting.
Meanwhile, small groups of bottlenose dolphins have been returning to their summer haunts of Chanonry Point in the Inner Moray Firth.
Mr Phillips said: “Bigger groups of dolphins are hanging further up the coast off places like Tarbat Ness where there are more salmon and sea trout.
“This could change overnight.”
BBC NEWS
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