WINTER TALK: Watch Out for Marine Life!

The Forth has often been in the news in recent years due to the arrival of a remarkable range of marine life, including many rare species of whales and dolphins. Added to the existing populations of seals and seabirds that already call the Forth and its islands home, the Forth is now very much a place in which you could enjoy some amazing encounters.

But these opportunities come with a responsibility to make sure that all our encounters with these wonderful creatures are on the animals' terms, so that we can ensure that they stay and flourish while here. Many of them can react negatively to over enthusiastic boat operators keen to make their acquaintance and are also highly sensitive to underwater noise generated by ships and small craft. Which is not to say that we cannot enjoy encounters with these creatures we just need to understand that there are sensible ways to do so that are least likely to cause any disturbance to them.

Local sailor and conservationist Ronnie Mackie has spent many years involved with marine conservation and research projects ashore and afloat. He is also one of our local instructors for the award-winning WiSe Scheme, which delivers training in safe and sustainable marine life watching from all sorts of small craft. One of the stalwarts behind the Forth Marine Mammal group, he will be able to help you get the most out of your encounters, join in with citizen science projects to help us better understand these creatures and above all, make them welcome in our waters.

This is a free event for members and their guests, so reserve your tickets below.

Last updated 3:45am on 23 April 2024