Marine wildlife is set to benefit from a Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code, which is being developed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The code will be produced as a result of extensive discussions and consultation with groups associated with marine wildlife.

Wildlife watching is now an increasingly significant aspect of tourism in Scotland and it is important that operators and visitors behave in a manner which does not disturb or harass the species on which this depends. As part of the new Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, which came into force in October last year, it is now illegal to intentionally or recklessly harass whales, dolphins, porpoises (collectively known as cetaceans) and basking sharks.

The Code will provide guidelines on how to minimise disturbance to cetaceans and other marine wildlife, caused by commercial and leisure users. This will ensure the future of the industry and the enjoyment of marine wildlife enthusiasts. It will also help to protect this lucrative sector for the future and aims to ensure that marine wildlife watchers have a quality experience. Initial discussions and workshops will be held with relevant interest groups throughout Scotland over the next few months, followed by a public consultation in the autumn.

Katie Gillham, marine advisory officer at SNH said:

"It is great that more people are getting out to see marine wildlife but it is very important that people understand what might disturb the animals and follow some basic guidelines. In some parts of the UK and the rest of the world, harassment of marine wildlife is a major problem and we know that it is now an emerging issue in Scotland too. We need to develop a workable code and we are keen to hear views from anyone who has an interest in marine wildlife."

Harassment of individual cetaceans can cause a range of problems, including direct injury to the animals as a result of collisions with vessels and disruption of their communication patterns due to vehicle noise. In the longer term, continued harassment can cause cetaceans to be excluded from areas that are important to them, for example, for feeding.

Voluntary codes of practice already exist for watching wildlife in areas such as the Moray Firth, where dolphin and whale watching is an established activity (see Dolphin Space Programme, Wild Scotland and SMWOA ). The new Code will build on these to create more comprehensive guidance, and will cover a wider range of species throughout the whole country. As well as cetaceans and basking sharks, the Code will provide information on good practice for watching animals such as seals, birds, turtles and otters, which are also popular wildlife tour spectacles. 

For more information:

• Scottish Natural Heritage
• Wildlife Watching