Significant commercial income in Scotland is derived of marine aquaculture, principally salmon and shellfish farming. These commercial activities must be balanced against the protection of the marine environment, an increasingly complex demand due to the wide range of activities being proposed and the diverse interactions that these may have upon habitats and ecosystem services.
SOI Ltd is able to provide a wide range of services of relevance to the mariculture sector either directly or via our sister company SMRU Ltd, or expertise held within the Scottish Oceans Institute at the University of St Andrews. This includes environmental surveys and the provision of advice and guidance on the potential impacts of a range of mariculture activities upon species and habitats of natural heritage interest, including those designated under conservation legislation.
Areas of expertise available include:
- Mariculture
- Benthic & Estuarine Habitats
- Subsea survey (including high resolution multi-beam scanning)
- Marine mammals & basking sharks
- Birds
- Data Analysis & Interpretation
- EcIA and Natura 2000 Designations