NatureScot Commissioned Report 759: Surveys of harbour and grey seals on the east, north and north-west coast of Scotland and in Orkney, including the Moray Firth and the Firth of Tay, in August 2013
The harbour seal survey of Orkney and the east, north and north-west coasts of Scotland undertaken by the Sea Mammal Research Unit in 2013 shows that the numbers of harbour seals in Orkney and the Firth of Tay, in particular, continue to decline and the numbers in both these areas are at their lowest ever recorded levels. The number of harbour seals counted in Orkney in 29013 was 1865 compared to the highest count of 8522 in 1997. In the Firth of Tay, the number has fallen from 773 in 1992 to only 50 in 2013. In other areas of the east and north coast numbers are relatively stable and in the north-west, the number has shown a significant increase since the last count in 2008. A coordinated research programme is underway to try to identify the cause/s of the decline.
Pages: 40
Published: 2014
NatureScot Commissioned Report 759
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