Award of Analysis of Broadband Acoustic Data Recordings and Noise Propagation Modelling from Acou...

Tender description

The aquaculture industry rely on a suite of complementary measures to mitigate depredation of stock by seals. Legislation amended earlier this year removed two provisions for which seals could be lethally controlled in finfish aquaculture and so other non-lethal control management measures, including ADDs have become more important to the industry. However, there is a risk that these devices can disturb non-target species, including cetaceans, which are protected under EPS legislation. The UK is also seeking to demonstrate comparability with the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to allow exports of farmed fish to continue to the US, so there is a need to better understand the potential impact of ADDs on cetaceans. The work being proposed here will contribute to developing a behavioural dose response curve for harbour porpoise, to exposure of sounds from ADDs. The work is intended to improve our understanding of the extent of disturbance to harbour porpoise from these devices, and to support and inform the decision making process when determining EPS licence applications for the use of ADDs. This work forms part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to identify a research and monitoring programme on ADDs and other non-lethal measures as outlined in the recent Report to the Scottish Parliament on the use of ADDs by the Scottish aquaculture sector.