News.Scotland.Org

Scotland, Mar 15: In a bid to protect the bottlenose dolphins the Scottish Government is planning to restrict the oil and gas exploration until its impact on the wildlife is fully calculated. This is on the backdrop of concerns raised against the development of the area and its adverse impact on dolphin population.

While, Richard Lochhead, the environment secretary, has stressed the UK government to consider the guidance put forth by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). It suggests that there should be initiatives to measure the dolphin population. The inner Moray Firth area is a protected area because it is haven for bottlenose dolphins and it has gained popularity as a hub for environmental tourism.

Mr Lochhead conveyed his message through a letter that he sent to John Hutton, secretary of state for business enterprise and regulatory reform. While commenting on this the environmental secretary said: “Oil and gas exploration is crucial to boost the Scottish and UK economies but that should have to go hand in hand with the environmental responsibilities. We should give emphasis on the special area of conservation in the Moray Firth and its local bottlenose dolphin population.

Meanwhile the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) forwarded a petition, postcards and letters including 18,000 signatures addressed to UK Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks. A joint statement has also been delivered by 25 scientific experts concerning the future of dolphins.

Earlier the Oil and Gas UK, the representative body for the sector has opined that the UK can fetch the benefit out of the enormous natural resources that is available in Moray Firth while ensuring the protection of wild life. Operations director Paul Dymond assured that the industry is following strict regulations.