Scottish waters support internationally important populations of marine mammals and seabirds, and the work of scientists within the Marine Predators Joint Research Theme has resulted in a strong global research presence in this area. This JRT is based around researchers at four of the MASTS Institutes (St-Andrews, Aberdeen, Glasgow & SAMS) and involves scientists from other key organizations such as the Centre of Ecology & Hydrology.
A key priority for this theme is to understand how changes in the marine environment influence populations of marine predators, allowing us to use these species as "bellwethers of change". Much of this work builds upon fundamental studies of seabird and marine mammal biology. Extensive research at breeding colonies has been complemented by ship and aerial surveys to estimate abundance and distribution at sea. Analyses of dietary remains, or stranded and by-caught individuals, have provided insights into their foraging ecology, physiological adaptations and exposure to contaminants.
An increasingly sophisticated range of novel technologies are now being integrated into these studies to understand how individual predators use the oceans. Tracking devices provide fine-scale data on movements at sea and diving behaviour. Biochemical analyses of contemporary or ancient tissues provide indicators of foraging areas and diet. While remote monitoring using passive acoustics or active sonar can improve the detection of animals in particular areas of interest. Together, these approaches offer new insights into the ways in which animals respond to changes in their environment. Our challenge is to use this understanding to better predict, and mitigate against, the impacts that these population face from the increasing array of human activities within our coastal and shelf seas.
Professor Paul Thompson, Chair (University of Aberdeen)
Dr Simon Greenstreet (Marine Scotland Science) Dr Ben Wilson (SAMS) Dr Francis Daunt (CEH) Prof. Bob Furness (University of Glasgow) Dr Simon Northridge (University of St Andrews) Dr Debbie Russel, Post-Doc Rep (CREEM, University of St Andrews) Hannah Watson, PhD Student Rep (University of Glasgow)