Consultation on haul-out sites

24 March 2011

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation aimed at providing extra protection for seals by protecting 'haul-out' sites. A haul-out site is a location on land where seals haul themselves out to rest.

The consultation suggests potential seal haul-out sites for potential designation under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. Section 117 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 provides for Scottish Ministers, after consulting the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), to designate haul-out sites, which are considered suitable to protect seals from harassment, through an order in the Scottish Parliament.

The Sea Mammal Research Unit, acting on behalf of the NERC, has compiled a list of haul-out sites for both grey seals and common or harbour seals for consideration as potential sites for designation as haul-out sites under the Act. The aim was to list those areas along the coasts of the Scottish mainland and islands likely to contain the highest concentrations of grey and common seals.

The consultation documents are available from the Scottish Government website here: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/03/22093944/0