Site condition monitoring of bottlenose dolphins within the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation: 2008 - 2010

The Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is one of two UK areas that have been proposed as part of the Natura 2000 series for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The SAC extends from the inner firths to Helmsdale on the north coast and Lossiemouth on the south coast and includes areas that are regularly used by the population of bottlenose dolphins occurring along the east coast of Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has a responsibility to report on the condition of bottlenose dolphins within the Moray Firth SAC every six years.

Since 1989, this population of bottlenose dolphins has been the focus of an intensive research programme, carried out by the University of Aberdeen in collaboration with the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St Andrews. In 2004, SNH entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of Aberdeen to support these photoidentification studies and use these data to report on the condition of the site. This report presents the results from the third round of SNH funded surveys, together with the results of similar surveys made in 2008 and 2009 that were carried out with support from the Scottish Government, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society and Talisman Energy (UK) Ltd.