The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-13880, in the name of Roderick Campbell, on the Scottish oceans institute’s work on seal deaths and population decline. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes what it considers to be the impressive work of the Scottish Oceans Institute (SOI), which is based at the University of St Andrews; understands that its mission is to “bring together the people, interdisciplinary skills and supporting scientific services necessary to deliver world class research in marine sciences”; praises what it believes to be the assiduous work into marine mammal research, particularly in relation to unexplained seal deaths and harbour seal decline; notes that recent publications have posited a new theory suggesting that grey seal predation is the cause of “corkscrew deaths” but that no definitive answer has yet been found to explain why seal numbers on Scotland’s coasts are declining so rapidly; commends the efforts of the staff and students at the SOI for their ongoing work; notes proposals for a brand-new building to accommodate the institute, and looks forward to further publications that may help to halt, and reverse, seal population decline.
17:39
I thank everyone who has stayed to take part in the debate and I welcome Dr Bernie McConnell of the sea mammal research unit, which is part of the Scottish oceans institute at the University of St Andrews, who is in the public gallery.
I should declare that I am the Scottish Environment LINK species champion for harbour seals. I must concede that prior to that illustrious appointment I had little knowledge of the problems faced by harbour seals. Although I was notionally aware of decreasing seal numbers on Scotland’s eastern and northern coastlines, I have been quite surprised to learn just how significant the fall in numbers has been in recent years.
What does the SMRU do? It provides the United Kingdom’s main science capability in the field of marine mammal biology and it is funded in part by the Natural Environment Research Council. Although the SMRU carries out most of its research on dolphins, whales and killer whales, it carries out most of its NERC-funded research on seals. Other significant funding for the SMRU is provided by the Scottish Government and bodies including the European Union, non-governmental organisations and even the Ministry of Defence.
A notable achievement for the SMRU came in 2012, when the University of St Andrews was awarded a Queen’s anniversary prize in recognition of the unit’s outstanding contribution to understanding and protecting the oceans. The university was described as
“a world leader over many years in work aimed at understanding and improving the global marine environment”.
It is fitting that I should mention some of the SMRU’s work in recent years on seal population decline. The Conservation of Seals Act 1970, which was replaced by the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, placed a duty on the NERC to provide relevant and timely advice about the management of UK seal populations. That work is carried out by the SMRU on behalf of NERC. In addition, in 1992 an ecological quality objective for harbour seals was set out in the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic, which states:
“there should be no decline in harbour seal population size ... of =10% as represented in a 5-year running mean”.
The SMRU’s recent findings have indicated, however, that there have been declines in population numbers well in excess of the 10 per cent limit.
The decline in areas such as Shetland, Orkney and south-east Scotland, including the Tay estuary, has been markedly steep. In the Firth of Tay area, harbour seal numbers have fallen from approximately 800 in 1995 to almost 50 during the time of the most recent survey a few years ago. The question on everybody’s lips has been why.
My motion refers to “corkscrew deaths” and there have been developments since it was circulated to members for support. So-called corkscrew deaths are characterised by a seal displaying a smooth, continuous wound with clean-cut skin, with the injury starting at the head and spiralling down around the body. Such injuries were first spotted at the end of the previous decade. In 2011, the SMRU started its research into unexplained seal deaths, including those that had occurred due to corkscrew injuries. The SMRU’s initial hypotheses suggested that the wounds could not be inflicted by any known predator. Instead, it believed that ducted propellers on ships were a possible cause of the damage. Despite all the work and investigations that were carried out, the initial conclusions, whereby predators were not to blame for the deaths, were proven to be at least partially incorrect.
Several adult grey seals were observed on the Isle of May catching and killing grey seal pups and harbour seals. One particular adult grey seal was tagged on the Isle of May and followed to Germany, where it displayed the same behaviour. The wounds displayed on the carcases that the SMRU observed and recovered were consistent with previous corkscrew injuries. Why is that important? As recently as February 2014, the Scottish Government and the UK Government were put under pressure to ban the use of covered propellers on the basis of the SMRU evidence. Despite new evidence, the SMRU suggested that it would be “premature” to completely discount the possibility that some corkscrew injuries are caused by interactions with propellers.
That is further evidence of the fact that additional research is required to confirm what is causing population decline. Is it increased interaction with grey seals and competition for resources? Is it predation by grey seals? Is it biotoxins present in Scotland’s waters? Is it shooting of seals? Unhelpfully, the simple answer is that it could be any or all of the above. It could equally be something else altogether. Far more research is required not only to identify exactly what is causing such a decline in seal populations in Scotland, but to explain the discrepancies in declines.
I mentioned that populations in south-east Scotland have declined and that predation by grey seals has been confirmed. By contrast, on the west coast of Scotland harbour seal numbers are increasing, as are grey seal numbers, with no confirmed predation problems. The biotoxins to which I referred—specifically domoic acid, which can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning—are subject to on-going research; I hope that the SMRU agrees that a lot more research in the area is required.
I am aware that some of what I have said might be controversial and that the SMRU’s findings earlier this year on the causes of corkscrew deaths attracted widespread attention. Some bodies, not least Whale and Dolphin Conservation, considered the new advice inappropriate, urging that precautionary mitigation advice be given until the causes of death are clearly understood.
In recent weeks there has been reference to seal shooting. Data were published, under freedom of information provisions, on the number of seals that have been shot at salmon farms in Scotland. The statistics revealed that 176 seals had been shot over the past two years to protect fish stocks, with almost half the shootings taking place in Shetland. For the purposes of this debate, however, there is scant evidence that legal shooting is a contributory factor.
I wonder whether the seals that the salmon farmers were shooting were mostly grey seals or common seals. Also, I believe that a few years ago a disease was killing common seals but not grey seals. Does the member know about that?
I know about the latter issue; I would have to pass on the first question. However, I want to focus on the subject of the debate and not get too drawn into the controversial issue of seal deaths at salmon farms.
The Scottish oceans institute has a lot to offer in the field of oceans research and I am sure that its new building, the construction of which will commence in the not-too-distant future, will help to ensure that more innovative research is done. The SOI’s existing premises are impressive but small and outdated. Presiding Officer, I hope that you will forgive my unavoidable aquatic joke when I say that SMRU staff are packed into their current premises like sardines in a tin.
I hope that the unit can continue its invaluable and impressive work and that the Scottish Government and NERC, the main financial contributors, will continue to fund it to allow it to do so.
17:47
I thank Roderick Campbell for securing this debate on the Scottish oceans institute’s important work. As the deputy convener of the cross-party group on animal welfare, I am increasingly aware of and concerned about seal deaths and harbour seal decline.
Scotland has a proud naval and fishing tradition and many communities up and down our east coast rely on marine resources to sustain the local economy. Many of my constituents are employed at Rosyth dockyard, working on the new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. However, our harnessing of the sea’s resources cannot be tolerated when it becomes exploitation.
A report by the sea mammal research institute, which Roderick Campbell mentioned, concluded that the most likely cause of seal corkscrew deaths was the ducted propellers on ships operating in shallow coastal waters, which were sucking seals into the slipstream and causing horrific and distinctive corkscrew-shaped lacerations along the length of the seal’s body.
Although we recognise the importance of our seas to our economy, we must also remember our responsibilities as users of the sea. More than 80 seals, including 32 harbour seals, have died in the Firth of Forth near my Dunfermline constituency, and there is every likelihood that the injuries that I described are much more widespread than the figures suggest. We certainly do not fully understand the causes of corkscrew deaths, which is why it is important that the Scottish Government continues to support the Scottish oceans institute’s innovative work in an important and underresearched area. I also commend the work of veterinary services at Scotland’s Rural College in Inverness on post mortems after unexplained seal deaths.
It is essential that we take a rigorous approach that is based on the best possible scientific evidence. Therefore, I hope that the Scottish Government will continue to provide all the support that it can do to the bodies that have been mentioned and their work.
I now turn to the new report by the Scottish oceans institute, which we are debating today. There are some concerns to be raised concerning the release of the research. The report suggests a new theory, which is that the corkscrew deaths that have been suffered by seals might be caused by predatory attacks by other grey seals. That new theory might be the key to saving dozens of seals’ lives over the next few years, but it is important to note that the report emphasises that we still do not have a categorical answer to the question why seal populations are dropping so rapidly. It is therefore concerning that the Scottish Government chose to fast-track publication of evidence of the new theory and release the information to the shipping industry before official publication.
In April, documents that were released under freedom of information legislation and were originally reported in the SNP’s favourite daily, The National, revealed that Government officials planned to brief the UK shipping industry two days before publication, while leaving environmental groups to read the report at a later date. Given those circumstances, it is difficult not to agree with the view of Sarah Dolman, of Whale and Dolphin Conservation, who said:
“The tone of the advice to ministers, and speed with which it was delivered, suggests that helping industry is the government’s prime concern, rather than protecting Scotland’s precious wildlife”.
She went on to say:
“Officials seem more anxious to keep the shipping and renewables industry sweet, than to enact precaution and ensure that all possible causes of seal deaths are minimised.”
For the sake of Scotland’s seals, I hope that Ms Dolman is just being cynical.
I welcome the work of the Scottish oceans institute and its aim of using interdisciplinary skills to develop world-class research in marine sciences. I also welcome the report and the opportunity that it gives us to curb the rapid decline in seal populations that affects the Forth and other Scottish marine areas. I really hope that the report is not used by some as an opportunity to dodge responsibility for seal deaths.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation says that, if the Scottish Government does not act, our harbour seals could disappear from the Forth and the east of Scotland within 20 years. We must act to ensure that our marine protected areas are conserved, enhanced and protected for the future and are managed to meet the needs of people and nature.
17:51
I congratulate my friend and colleague Rod Campbell on securing the debate. He is a hardworking constituency MSP, and I would expect nothing less from him than for him to highlight the impressive work that is being carried out in the part of the country that he represents.
However, in a broader sense—I say this as a member of the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee—I welcome the chance to consider the Scottish oceans institute’s research into seal deaths and population decline. In passing, I acknowledge some other fine work that is being done at St Andrews on the development of seal scaring devices that are deployed around salmon farms in the west of Scotland in order to protect the crop from predation and reduce the need for shooting. Thanks to St Andrews, not only are we developing a better understanding of why seal numbers are declining in some parts of the country but we have the emergence of measures to actively mitigate a possible contributory factor in the decline overall.
The sea mammal research unit of the SOI, which next year celebrates its 20th birthday, provides statutory advice to the Scottish Government on seal management issues through the NERC. As the motion notes, the unit was commissioned to carry out research into harbour seal declines and the specific issue of corkscrew deaths. That work has progressed to the point at which, as we have heard, it is now thought that competition from larger grey seals is the likeliest cause of the former problem and that grey seal predation is the likeliest explanation of the latter, with greys now being found in areas that were previously occupied only by harbour seals.
Further, I believe that there is currently a strand of Scottish Government-commissioned research into interactions between seals and salmon net fisheries—a subject that has attracted quite a lot of attention in the media of late. That, too, is welcome, as we really need to move away from the polarised and often emotive opinions on the issue and get the hard facts that are required to appropriately shape future policy.
The Marine Scotland Act 2010 has provided far greater protection for seals than was previously the case. We are also now far more open in providing details of how many seals are shot under licence, with figures indicating a pronounced fall since the act was introduced. The better we understand the causes of declining populations and how shooting contributes—or does not contribute—to that, the more informed the decisions that can be taken.
On the subject of seals and science, we have recently seen another thread developing: that of the extent to which seals might be responsible for the falling numbers of salmon that are to be found in some of Scotland’s rivers. We desperately need solid science as we seek to understand the falling numbers of salmon that make it back into our rivers. We are told that changing sea temperatures might be at fault, or that the electromagnetic currents emanating from subsea cables might confuse them as they make their journey home. Common sense tells us that netting at the mouths of rivers, especially where mixed stocks are involved, must be a significant factor. Most recently, it has been suggested that seals are consuming more salmon than was originally thought.
We need a fuller understanding of the impact of seals on salmon, to which end I note and welcome the answer that the Government provided to Rob Gibson MSP within the past few days on the subject of calculating the feed sources of seals. I look forward to publication later this year of a new study into the subject, commissioned by the Government and carried out by the SOI. Just as we need to better understand the issues that impact on seals, we must understand better the impact of seals on the marine environment. As ever, science of the type delivered by the Scottish oceans institute will provide that understanding.
17:55
I, too, congratulate Roderick Campbell on securing the debate. I join him and other members in commending the good work of the Scottish oceans institute and the sea mammal research unit, which are important elements of the first-class academic offering and research base at the University of St Andrews—Scotland’s oldest university and one of the world’s best. I wish any project to develop new building facilities for the institute every success.
It is vital that we have accurate data in relation to seal populations, not least as we seek to balance healthy seal populations with a vibrant and sustainable fisheries sector. Both are important to society, as Graeme Dey said. Like other marine mammals, seals are difficult to count. They spend most of their lives—other than during breeding periods—in or under water, so it is challenging to obtain a precise estimate of the total population size. Therefore, population modelling needs to be robust.
Seals are amazing creatures. I have fond memories of swimming among them with my dog in the sea off Coll and Tiree when I was a youngster. The numbers of harbour, or common, seals appear to be declining. In some areas, the decline is drastic: up to 85 per cent between 2000 and 2010. However, the grey seal population seems more stable, which is a puzzle, although grey seals seem to be better equipped to deal with disease—they do not seem to get diseases, although there are so many of them, which is extraordinary.
I am informed that harbour seal populations in Orkney, Shetland and the Firth of Tay continue to decrease but the Moray Firth population appears to have stabilised and the population on the west coast of Scotland and in the outer Hebrides does not appear to be showing the same dramatic decline as that in the northern isles. Clearly, there is a need for more research, as we do not have many answers on the causes of decline.
Roderick Campbell said that seal numbers on the west coast are increasing. Fishermen tell me that the population of the grey seal colony on the Monach islands near North Uist is in the region of 30,000, which seems an incredible number. They must eat a very large quantity of fish, including salmon and lots of other sea fish.
The assumption had always been that deaths with distinctive corkscrew marks were a result of injuries caused by ships’ propellers, but the new research suggests that cannibalistic predation by other grey seals—primarily by adult males on seal pups and younger seals—may be the cause of a significant number of them. That research, which increases our understanding of grey seal behaviour, may also support the view of other scientists that predation by grey seals on harbour seals is a real factor and worthy of additional research.
There has been some coverage lately in the media of seal death by shooting in the fish farming sector. No one wants those beautiful mammals to be culled unnecessarily, but we are also aware that, each year, thousands of seal attacks take place on Scottish salmon farms. The salmon farming industry is clear that it wants to bring down the number of seals being culled and is making a significant investment in that regard, for example in more sophisticated acoustic deterrents and better nets. However, the industry maintains that, as a last resort, it needs to shoot persistent rogue seals that attack the nets, in the way that a terrestrial farmer might shoot rogue foxes or even pet dogs that sometimes attack and kill their livestock. We support that happening only after all non-lethal methods of excluding or deterring seals have been explored and under strict license conditions.
I welcome the debate and look forward to further research discoveries from the SOI.
18:00
I, too, thank Roderick Campbell for securing this important debate, which gives us an opportunity to raise awareness of the first-class, essential research that is taking place here in Scotland, enabling us to better understand the state of the marine environment and the challenges facing marine animals here in Scotland and beyond.
Much concern has been voiced about the decline of our harbour seal population in certain areas and it is vitally important that we understand why that is happening. Our marine environment is an important barometer of our environmental health. The research that is cited in Roderick Campbell’s motion demonstrates the value of such research. It was previously thought that propeller blades were the most likely cause of the gruesome corkscrew injuries inflicted on the young seals. Although that hypothesis should not be dismissed, we now know that there is an alternative and well-researched likely cause.
It is very important that we understand completely what is happening in our ocean. Many people are interested, from those who research our seas to those who want to visit our seas to get to know them better. Nature-based tourism provides 39,000 full-time equivalent jobs in Scotland and it brings £1.4 billion to the economy. It is one of the main reasons for visits to Scotland—40 per cent of all tourism spend is to do with nature tourism. Tourists come and build the rest of their holiday around their desire to see seals in their natural environment or to witness whales at play from the deck of a small boat. I know, as I have been fortunate enough to be one of those tourists.
Dr Van Sebille of Imperial College London recently said:
“A pristine ocean doesn’t exist anymore ... Every ocean is now filled with plastic.”
Last week, the press told us that many birds have up to 8 per cent of their body mass made up of plastic. That might be difficult to envisage, but it is like a grown man carrying around two fat house cats. Marine research is essential because we are severely impacting the health of our oceans, which impacts many species.
Globally, there is growing demand for higher welfare for our seas and the life in our seas. There is less tolerance of poor treatment of marine animals, there is a growing voice advocating the boycotting of dolphinaria, and there is a backlash against the tiny tanks that we see too many marine mammals imprisoned in.
There are serious and valid concerns about the impact of aquaculture. Here in Scotland we are only now just able to learn, thanks to the FOI ruling, about which individual salmon farms have shot seals. It is acknowledged that the numbers shot have declined but, at 176 in the past two years, they are still far too high. I would also like to understand how rigorous the reporting and recording of those deaths are, because constituents have called me when they have come across seals that have clearly been shot and have been found by the water’s edge. I warmly welcome the release of that information, as it empowers people when they decide what they want to put in their shopping baskets and where they wish to spend their cash.
We are told that salmon farming is a £400 million to £500 million industry and that it must be protected, but that intensive industry has a duty to the environment that it is set in and to those that it shares that environment with. When 87 per cent of farms do not have anti-predator nets, it cannot possibly be claimed that seals are being shot as a last resort. I would be grateful if the minister could explain in her closing speech what the Government is doing with regard to issuing licences and, in particular, whether licences are issued to companies that do not have any non-lethal deterrents in place, because I cannot understand why a farm that does not have anti-predator nets would be issued with a licence to shoot seals.
18:04
I thank Roderick Campbell for securing today’s important debate. The Scottish oceans institute, which works out of the University of St Andrews, is doing important work on seal deaths and population decline. That excellent work must be recognised.
All Scottish wildlife must be monitored and studied at all times so that we can see what is good for it and what is harming it. I have always believed that all life is connected in one way or another and that there is a complete chain, in which all animals, including us as human beings, depend on each other.
It is the efforts made by the staff and students that make the Scottish oceans institute. The Government should help out as much as possible with the acquisition of appropriate buildings to allow the centre’s valuable work to continue as required in order to discover why our grey seals are dying.
All marine research should be supported. As an island nation, we depend on our marine life, more so than many other nations around the world. Sooner or later we will discover how marine science plays such an important role in supporting our marine life and in ensuring that we live free of disease and danger.
My colleague Roderick Campbell is correct when he says that there are dangers in not supporting our marine life. The research that has been carried out is important and valuable. Not only should we bring such significant issues to the Scottish Parliament, the Government should do something about them and ensure that appropriate actions are taken.
However, I do not want to lay all the blame on the Scottish Government. Marine life affects all of us around the world, and the UK Government and the Governments of European Union countries therefore have an important role to play in supporting our efforts.
On many occasions we talk about marine exports, our fisheries and many other aspects of marine life, and we must always keep in mind the fact that marine life is finely balanced. We are responsible as human beings for the marine population, because we are all beneficiaries of it in one form or another. Whether we take photographs, promote exports of food or carry out research, we are ultimately responsible. We play a large role in assisting marine life in its hour of need to work in a positive way to enrich the seas around our shores.
I thank Roderick Campbell once again for bringing the debate to the chamber. I say to the Government that we should not feel that we have to carry all the burden on our own shoulders all the time. The UK Government and the European Governments have a role to play, and I strongly recommend that we pursue those angles to support the industry.
18:08
I thank my colleague Roderick Campbell for bringing to the chamber this important debate, thereby giving me the opportunity to put on record my appreciation for the excellent work and first-class research that is being done by the Scottish oceans institute at the University of St Andrews.
The institute’s work helps us by protecting our marine environment for the future. The institute’s sea mammal research unit in particular has played a key role for more than a decade in informing the development of a wide range of Scottish Government policies on marine mammals. In fact, no other facility in Europe has a comparable breadth of expertise in marine mammal issues.
As other members have highlighted, the unit provided the scientific basis for the new legislation on seals that was introduced in the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, which has brought about greater protection than ever before for seals in Scotland. The 2010 act introduced a new seal licensing system to balance seal conservation with the protection of fisheries and fish farms from seal predation. In the act’s first years of operation since 2011, the system has resulted in a 56 per cent reduction in the numbers of seals that are shot under licence across Scotland.
A report on the operation of the seal licensing system was published last week as required by the 2010 act, and it is available on the Scottish Government’s website. To try to answer the question that Alison Johnstone asked, I point out that I understand that all companies have at least one non-lethal deterrent measure and that many have more than that.
Under the 2010 act, the Scottish ministers also designated 194 seal haul-outs, where seals are protected from harassment. The expert knowledge of the sea mammal research unit proved essential in identifying those important sites, where seals emerge to rest or breed. On Monday 7 September, a consultation was published to seek views on whether an additional haul-out site on the River Ythan should be designated. That is available on the Scottish Government’s website and has a closing date of 4 December.
The sea mammal research unit provides a key source of scientific advice on marine mammals, especially seals, to the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government has also commissioned a wide range of specific research projects from the unit to inform policy development on marine mammals, including seals.
As colleagues have highlighted, in the period since 2000, there have been declines in harbour or common seal numbers in a number of regions around Scotland. The current position is that the declines are continuing in the Firth of Tay, Orkney and Shetland. The position in the Western Isles and the Moray Firth is currently stable, and there have been no similar declines on the west coast of Scotland.
The sea mammal research unit has been undertaking research into the declines and, as we have heard, has so far eliminated a wide range of possible causes. It is now clear that we can eliminate fisheries bycatch, licensed shooting, exposure to persistent organic pollutants and phocine distemper virus and other diseases as significant factors in the declines.
As many members have highlighted, the most likely cause of the declines is now considered to be competition from the increasing populations of the much larger grey seals. That might involve direct competition such as predation and competition for haul-out space, or indirect competition over similar food resources. Indicative of that possibility is the presence of increased numbers of grey seals at sites that were previously mostly colonised by harbour or common seals, which has been noted in a number of areas of decline.
As my colleague Alison Johnstone said, there are issues about water quality and the level of plastic in the water. That will affect the availability of food. Will there be additional research on that factor?
I am happy to come back to the member with further details on that.
From 2012 onwards, juvenile grey seal and adult harbour or common seal deaths showing the unusual corkscrew or spiral injuries were reported to the Scottish Government-sponsored Scottish marine animal stranding scheme. The sea mammal research unit was commissioned to urgently investigate the potential causes of those unusual mortalities. Obviously, the unit worked closely with the stranding scheme vets to record and examine as many dead seals showing such injuries as possible.
That eliminated a number of potential causes before, as we have heard, focusing on a theory that ship propellers might be responsible. Initial testing of the theory using models appeared to indicate that it was a possibility, although the reason for seals actually approaching ship propellers was never established.
The research subsequently sought confirmation of the theory in the wild, but the researchers were rather surprised to record on video a grey seal killing between 11 and 14 juvenile grey seals. The injuries that were caused by the grey seal were subsequently examined and confirmed as classic spiral seal cases. At the same time, similar reports from Germany confirmed that grey seals also attack harbour or common seals in the same way. It is now considered that grey seal predation is probably one of the most likely causes of the mortalities. Ship propellers have not been entirely eliminated as a possible factor, but they are considered very unlikely to be significant.
The sea mammal research unit is also working hard to identify possible interactions between marine mammals and marine renewables. The purpose of that research is purely to assess the risks of potential interactions and, if necessary, to identify possible mitigation measures.
I commend the researchers at the sea mammal research unit for their efforts in undertaking such a wide range of research for the Scottish Government. In some cases, they have been able to adjust the focus of the research at short notice to prioritise particular aspects. I look forward to seeing the results of their continuing work on harbour or common seal decline, the possible interactions between seals and marine renewable developments and the interactions between seals and salmon net fisheries. I am confident that the results of those projects will inform the future direction of the Scottish Government’s seal policy.
I thank all members for their contributions to the debate, and I again thank Roderick Campbell for bringing the motion for debate.
I thank members for taking part in this important debate.
Meeting closed at 18:15.Previous
Decision Time