Publication - Strategy/plan

Scotland's Marine Atlas: Information for The National Marine Plan

Published: 16 March 2011
Topic: Marine and fisheries
ISBN: 9870755982547

Scotland's Marine Atlas is an assessment of the condition of Scotland's seas, based on scientific evidence from data and analysis and supported by expert judgement.

CETACEANS

Whales, dolphins and porpoises are collectively known as cetaceans. Twenty-three species have been recorded in Scottish waters over the last 25 years. Of these 11 are regularly sighted, the remaining 12 are considered to be vagrants or rare visitors.

Cetaceans are very mobile and can range widely with some undertaking large scale seasonal migrations often leaving Scottish waters in the process. Other species are more localised in their distribution. The greatest diversity of species is found off the continental shelf in waters to the north and west of Scotland.

Legislation

Cetaceans are protected by a number of international conventions and agreements. All cetacean species are listed on Annex IV of the Council Directive 92/43/ EEC of 21 May 1992, commonly known as the Habitats Directive, 'animal and plant species of community interest in need of strict protection'. Two species (bottlenose dolphin and harbour porpoise) are also listed on Annex II 'whose conservation requires the designation of Special Areas of Conservation'. At present there is one SAC designated for the bottlenose dolphin in Scotland but none for the harbour porpoise.

Further obligations under the Habitats Directive require the UK'to maintain or restore, at favourable conservation status, natural habitats and species of wild fauna and flora of Community interest'and ' establish a system to monitor the incidental capture and killing of the animals species listed in Annex IVa. In the light of the information gathered, Member states shall take further research of conservation measures as required to ensure that incidental capture and killing does not have a significant negative impact on the species concerned.'and under the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the Baltic and North Sea ( ASCOBANS) the UK is required to ' endeavour to establish an efficient system for reporting and retrieving bycatches and stranding specimens and to carry out … full autopsies in order to collect tissues for further studies and reveal possible causes of death'.

Pressures

Cetaceans face a number of threats such as noise disturbance from shipping, oil and gas operations, military activities and potentially from other novel activities such as renewable energy developments. They are also vulnerable to pollution although concentrations of many contaminants such as PCBs are declining. Bycatch is the main form of direct human-caused mortality in UK waters. It is seen as a particular threat to harbour porpoises and short-beaked common dolphins although with the reduction in the use of static fishing gear this is declining. Council Regulation 812/2004 lays down measures concerning incidental catches of cetaceans by fisheries and requires member states to report certain cetacean bycatch.

Some species are at risk from entanglement and of death or injury from collisions with vessels. At present this is considered to be slight but with the installation of new renewable energy devices it is possible that this risk could increase. It is not known what the likely impacts of wide scale habitat damage/change are, nor the implications of climate change for cetaceans.

Distribution of cetacean species occurring in Scottish waters
(Species with an asterisk are Priority Marine Features)

Species	UK continental shelf ( CS)	UK offshore waters ( OS)	Population estimates	Date of estimate
Phocoena phocoena* Harbour porpoise	v		385,600 European CS	2005
Tursiops truncatus* Bottlenose dolphin	v	v	12,600 European CS 19,300 OS	2005 CS 2007 OS
Lagenorhynchus albirostris* White-beaked dolphin	v		22,700 European CS 10,600 for North Sea	2005
Balaenoptera physalus* Fin whale		v	9,000	2007
Balaenoptera acutorostrata* Minke whale	v	v	18,600 European CS 6,800 OS	2005 CS 2007 OS
Delphinus delphis* Short-beaked common dolphin	v	v	63,400 European CS 116,700 OS	2005 CS 2007 OS
Lagenorhynchus acutus* Atlantic white-sided dolphin	v (summer only)	v	74,600 Faroe Shetland Channel 21,400 Outer Hebrides	2004 CS
Grampus griseus* Risso's dolphin	v		No pop. estimate
Globcephala melas* Long-finned pilot whale		v	25,100	2007
Orcinus orca* Killer whale	v	v	Widespread but pop. size unknown
Physeter macrocephalus* Sperm whale		v	2,100	2007
Stenella coeruleoalba Striped dolphin		v	67,400	2007
Hyperoodon ampullatus* Northern bottlenose whale		v	7,000 for all beaked whales	2007
Ziphius cavirostris Cuvier's beaked whale		v	7,000 for all beaked whales	2007
Mesoplodon bidens* Sowerby's beaked whale		v	7,000 for all beaked whales	2007
Mesoplodon mirus True's beaked whale		v	No data
Balaenoptera borealis Sei whale		v	370	2007
Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale		v	No data
Megaptera novaengliae Humpback whale	v (summer only)	v	No data
Delphinapterus leucas Beluga whale		v	No data
Eubalaeana glacialis Northern right whale		v	No data
Preudorca crassidens False killer whale		v	No data
Kogia breviceps Pygmy sperm whale		v	No data

Priority Marine Features Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) White-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) Killer whale (Orcinus orca) Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) Northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens)	Moray Firth - Bottlenose dolphin Special Area of Conservation © P.S.A. Macdonald/ SNH
Harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena Habitat: Open coast, shallow bays, estuaries and sea lochs Scottish distribution: Abundant in waters all around Scotland Status:IUCN Red List - Least Concern		© Peter Evans Seawatch Foundation
Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus Habitat: Open coast, sea lochs, firths and offshore Scottish distribution: Resident population of around 111 individuals known from Moray Firth and adjacent coastal waters. Also recorded from around Inner and Outer Hebrides Status:IUCN Red List - Least Concern		© Lorne Gill/ SNH
White-beaked dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris Habitat: Open coast, sea lochs with a preference for waters shallower than 200m and along the shelf edge Scottish distribution: Abundant in all Scottish waters but concentrated around the Hebrides and Northern Isles Status:IUCN Red List - Least Concern		© Caroline Weir Seawatch Foundation
Minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata Habitat: Open coast, straits and sounds, sea lochs and occasionally offshore Scottish distribution: Throughout Scottish waters Status:IUCN Red List - Least Concern		© Peter Evans Seawatch Foundation
Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis Habitat: Open coast, offshore with a preference for areas of steep seabed Scottish distribution: Mainly around the Hebrides Status:IUCN Red List - Least Concern		© P Anderwald Seawatch Foundation
Atlantic white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus Habitat: Offshore along the outer continental shelf and slope Scottish distribution: Around the Hebrides, Northern isles and North Sea Status:IUCN Red List - Least Concern		© WDCS/Hal Whitehead
Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus Habitat: Open coast, straits and sounds, sea lochs and offshore with a preference for areas with steep sloping sea bed Scottish distribution: Most sightings around the Outer Hebrides, occasionally from Northern Isles and off the east coast Status:IUCN Red List - Least Concern		© D Feingold Seawatch Foundation
Long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas Habitat: Deep waters along and seaward of the continental shelf edge Scottish distribution: Sightings limited to Moray Firth and offshore west of the Hebrides and Shetland Status:IUCN Red List - Data Deficient		© M Baines Seawatch Foundation
Killer whale Orcinus orca Habitat: Open coast, straits and sounds, sea lochs and offshore Scottish distribution: All around coast but sightings concentrated around Mull, north-east coast and Northern Isles Status:IUCN Red List - Data Deficient		© M Baines Seawatch Foundation
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus Habitat: Continental slope and oceanic waters >1000m deep Scottish distribution: Offshore to north and west of Scotland, occasionally seen inshore off Shetland Status:IUCN Red List - Vulnerable		© Peter Evans Seawatch Foundation
Fin whale Balaenoptera physalus Habitat: Deepwater (400-2000m) beyond the edge of the continental shelf where they favour banks, mounds and areas of upwelling and frontal zones Scottish distribution: Beyond the continental shelf margin in northern waters Status:IUCN Red List - Endangered		© Seawatch Foundation
Northern bottlenose whale Hyperoodon ampullatus Habitat: Cold temperate to subarctic deep waters beyond the edge of the continental shelf at depths of between 500-1500m, often near submarine canyons Scottish distribution: Most records from beyond the continental shelf edge to the north-west of Scotland in summer months Status:IUCN Red List - Data Deficient		© Seawatch Foundation
Sowerby's beaked whale Mesoplodon bidens Habitat: Occurs almost exclusively in deep waters beyond the continental shelf edge Scottish distribution: Most records are from north-west and east Scotland Status:IUCN Red List - Data Deficient	© Seawatch Foundation

Status

Five species (harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, white-beaked dolphin, fin whale and minke whale) are considered to be in favourable condition, with the status of another six (short-beaked common dolphin, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Risso's dolphin, long-finned pilot whale, killer whale, sperm whale) unknown because of a lack of suitable abundance estimates. The status of the remaining vagrant and rare species also could not be assessed.

As a group cetaceans are considered to be in good condition in the North Sea, but in moderate condition in the Minches and Western Scottish waters. The status of cetaceans in the Scottish continental shelf and offshore waters is unknown.

Species	Range	Population	Habitat	Future prospects	Overall assessment
Harbour porpoise	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable
Bottlenose dolphin	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable
Minke whale	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable
White-beaked dolphin	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable
Fin whale	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable	favourable
Short-beaked common dolphin	favourable	unknown	favourable	unknown	unknown
Atlantic white-sided dolphin	favourable	unknown	favourable	unknown	unknown
Risso's dolphin	favourable	unknown	favourable	unknown	unknown
Killer whale	favourable	unknown	favourable	unknown	unknown
Sperm whale	favourable	unknown	favourable	unknown	unknown
Long-finned pilot whale	favourable	unknown	favourable	unknown	unknown

There is a problem

Thanks for your feedback

Was this helpful?

Yes

Your comments

Your feedback helps us to improve this website. Do not give any personal information because we cannot reply to you directly.

Choose a reason for your feedback

Your comments

Your feedback helps us to improve this website. Do not give any personal information because we cannot reply to you directly.

Yes, but

Choose a reason for your feedback

Your comments

Your feedback helps us to improve this website. Do not give any personal information because we cannot reply to you directly.