New devices to be trialled to deter seals
THE shooting of seals to protect commercial salmon netting stations, which horrified local communities along the Banffshire coast last summer, could become a thing of the past – if Gamrie Bay trials of a new acoustic deterrent device developed in Scotland prove successful.
Anti-seal shooting campaigners have called on the Scottish Government to subsidise trials of deterrent devices to keep grey and common seals away from commercial fish farms and netting operations, to end the practice of shooting seals under Government licence.
Today, the ‘Banffshire Journal’ can exclusively reveal that the company which operates two salmon netting stations at Gardenstown and Crovie – Usan Salmon Fisheries Ltd – has teamed up with scientists at the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at St Andrews University to trial new seal-scaring devices throughout the 2013 netting season – which starts early next month and runs until the end of August – whatever the cost.
Residents and visitors to the two fishing villages were shocked last year by the overt presence of trained marksmen, employed by the Montrose-based netting company in Crovie to shoot seals which threatened their netting operations.
Several complaints were lodged with the authorities by residents and holiday season visitors concerned about the sight of rifle-carrying marksmen in the villages, and about dead seal carcasses being left on the villages’ beaches.
A number of regular visitors, repulsed by what they saw, went as far as to make it clear they would not return to holiday homes in either village until the practice of shooting seals ceased.
Usan director George Pullar, who shares the villagers’ concerns, told the ‘Journal’ that he hopes his company’s partnership with the SMRU will push forward the development of efficient acoustic seal-scaring devices and make shooting seals totally unnecessary.
"We are investing a signifcant amount of money into conservation measures to protect our netting operations and to protect seals in 2013 because shooting them has always been the very last resort for our company," said Usan director George Pullar.
"We were recently involved in a meeting at Banff Police Station with police wildlife protection officers, Marine Scotland officials and residents from Gardenstown and Crovie to discuss the best way forward, so our netting operations can continue in the area while addressing the concerns that were raised last summer."
