COMMISSIONED REPORT Commissioned Report No. [ SNH to complete ] Abundance and Behaviour of Cetaceans & Basking Sharks in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters For further information on this report please contact: Karen Hall Policy and Advice Officer – Marine Ecology Scottish Natural Heritage Stewart Building Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0LL Telephone: 01595-693 345 E-mail:
[email protected] This report should be quoted as : Evans, P.G.H., Baines, M.E., and Coppock, J. (2010). Abundance and Behaviour of Cetaceans & Basking Sharks in the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters . Report by Hebog Environmental Ltd & Sea Watch Foundation. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No.XXX (iBids and Projects ID 1052). This report, or any part of it, should not be reproduced without the permission of Scottish Natural Heritage. This permission will not be withheld unreasonably. The views expressed by the author(s) of this report should not be taken as the views and policies of Scottish Natural Heritage. © Scottish Natural Heritage 2010 1 COMMISSIONED REPORT Summary Abundance and Behaviour of Cetaceans & Basking Sharks in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Commissioned Report No. XXX Contractor: Hebog Environmental Limited Year of publication: 2010 Background In the light of proposed offshore energy developments in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters, a review was conducted of sightings information for cetaceans and basking sharks. Gaps in current knowledge were identified, and recommendations made on how to interpret or use the data available in the context of providing appropriate advice to regulators on potential interactions between these marine animals and renewable devices. Main findings • Nineteen cetacean species have been recorded in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters since 1980, 17 of these as live sightings, making it one of the richest areas in the UK.