Investigations into the interactions between harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and vessels in the inner Moray Firth

Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 7 No 24

In late 2014, observations of grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) predation on conspecifics which produced similar wounds provided a plausible alternative explanation of the likely cause of spiral lacerations. At that time there was insufficient evidence to rule out interactions with vessels as a possible cause of some of these mortalities, so the requirement to investigate the temporal and spatial overlap between seals and vessels remained.