Sights and sounds from the deep...
A Minke Whale in Loch Gairloch
Have you ever listened to a porpoise, or come face to face with a flatfish….? This summer Gairloch Marine Wildlife Centre & Cruises will offer people a new insight on undersea life in sea lochs, thanks to a grant of nearly £5000 by Scottish Natural Heritage.
The company is installing a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) camera and hydrophone on its vessel, “Starquest”. The tethered mini-submarine sends its digital video pictures back to display screens aboard the boat, showing fascinating live images from the seabed. Lights on the underwater camera reveal the astonishing colours and abundance of marine life, giving a “divers eye” view to visitors. The hydrophone picks up the noises made by whales, porpoises and dolphins to communicate with each other, and makes them audible to the human ear.
The new technology lets people visit rocky reefs and the vast beds of waving kelp which are home to hundreds of species. The camera can be “flown” under ledges and down submerged cliff faces for extraordinary, close-up views of the teeming life beneath the surface, including plankton, sea urchins, crabs, comb jellies, soft corals, and sea anemones.
Starquest’s skipper, Ian French, said: “Gairloch’s wildlife above the surface is spectacular - but beneath the waves it can be even more amazing. By offering a unique glimpse into this underwater world we are able to inform and educate visitors about this little known environment.”
Confirming the SNH grant, area officer, Kenny Nelson, said: “This is a new and innovative way of enabling people to access and appreciate the amazing natural heritage that exists, mostly unseen, beneath the surface of our inshore waters. It will help people to understand just what a rich wealth of wildlife Scottish sea lochs have.”