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The distribution of seabirds and marine mammals in the Atlantic Frontier, north and west of Scotland 2000

Abstract

The Seabirds at Sea Team (SAST) of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has been studying the distribution and abundance of seabirds and marine mammals in the waters around Britain since 1979.

During the 1970s, with the development of the offshore North Sea oil industry, there was concern over the lack of available data on seabird dispersion at sea. Funding from the United Kingdom government and the oil and gas industry resulted in the establishment of SAST, and enabled surveys to commence in the North Sea. These surveys have continued in British and Irish waters, and along with similar data collected by other European countries, have been incorporated into the European Seabirds at Sea (ESAS) database.

Surveys were conducted in waters north and west of Scotland, with emphasis on the deep waters of the continental slope where licences have been awarded for oil and gas exploration. All data from surveys between 1979 to 1999 were used to compile this report. The main objective was to gain information on seabird and cetacean dispersion patterns along the continental slope, particularly in the offshore blocks licensed in the 17th and earlier rounds. A secondary objective was to census several important seabird colonies nearest the licensed areas. The results are dealt with in detail elsewhere.

Resource type Publication

Topic category Environment

Reference date 2000··

Citation
Pollock, C.M., Mavor, R., Weir, C.R., Reid, A., White, R.W., Tasker, M.L., Webb, A. & Reid, J.B. (2000) The distribution of seabirds and marine mammals in the Atlantic Frontier, north and west of Scotland. JNCC, Peterborough, ISBN 1 86107 5057.

Lineage
Examines the distribution and abundance of seabirds and cetaceans within this frontier. Information is based on ship and aircraft surveys conducted between June 1979 and March 1999.

Responsible organisation
Communications, JNCC publisher

Limitations on public access No limitations

Use constraints Available under the Open Government Licence 3.0

Metadata date 2026·04·21

Metadata point of contact
Communications, JNCC

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