Featured Image Credit: Markéta Machová via Pixabay
By Sarah Sharkey
A recent study has suggested that seals living in the Moray Firth are being deafened by shipping noises. The scientists studied 28 seals and tested the predicted noise levels of the shipping lanes and found that the noise cause temporary hearing loss in 20 of them.
Dr Ester Jones, ecologist at the University of St Andrews, compared it to humans who live with the busy noise of the city. Except the seals do not want to live in the city, they want to live in a noise free ocean. They use sounds to communicate so this noise really affects their way of life.
The researchers made a map of all the areas that are affected by shipping traffic and found that 11 of the 25 Special Areas of Conservation will be affected. Seals live in these Special Areas of Conservation so it will influence their populations.
Dr. Jones is advocating that shipping noises be considered when management plans are made for shipping lanes and marine protected areas. Her team has tagged seals with movement and sound recording devices to see exactly how their behavior is affected because the more we know about it the more we can help these seals.