Abstract
Many seabirds and marine mammal populations across the globe are declining as a result of climate change and anthropogenic practises such as over-fishing. With these threats already facing the animals and the shifting of energy resources into marine renewables due to climate change ever approaching, it is important that devices such as tidal stream turbines do not cause further harm. It is known that both disturbance and displacement are both risks to the animals along with collision with the turbine blades which can cause serious harm and even death. These risks are even greater as there is an overlap between the areas suitable for tidal stream turbines and suitable conditions for the birds and mammals. We use a unique nine-year dataset on seabird and marine mammals use of Bluemull Sound in Scotland, a tidal stream environment, to assess the occupancy patterns at annual and seasonal scales. There is a huge knowledge gap surrounding this topic however, by analysing a long-term data set using GAMs and quantitative plots, we answer the following questions – (1) Does animals’ use of Bluemull Sound differ between years? (2) Does this depend upon shore of wide-ranging species? (3) Under what conditions are animals most at risk from turbines?
This dissertation is in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (MSc) in Marine Biology at Bangor University.