Yacht to monitor marine life

The vessel will monitor marine life in Scotland

A new vessel which will be used to monitor whales and dolphins off Scotland's west coast has been unveiled to the public.

The £700,000 Silurian yacht last served as a camera platform, during the making of the BBC series The Blue Planet.

Unveiled at Oban Harbour on Monday, the 64ft yacht will be the first permanent research vessel to focus on the whale and dolphin population off the west coast of Scotland.

Cally Fleming, of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, said the role of the boat will be twofold.

Cally Fleming: "Raise awareness"

"It will be educational role and a monitoring role," she said.

"Firstly, we want to raise awareness of the unique marine biodiversity we have in the Argyll waters to both locals and visitors alike.

"We are also stressing the need to conserve this for future generations, and also to find out more about exactly what is here."

Mrs Fleming said there had not been any dedicated survey research throughout the west coast of Scotland.

It is believed there are at least 19 species of whales and dolphins in the area.

"There are 24 known species throughout the Hebrides and 19 reported in the Argyll waters and we want to get that across to all levels of the community," Mrs Fleming said.

"Some people from a young age know about the wide range of whales and dolphins we have in the area - many others don't.

"So we feel it is important to put across that message for the future viability of the island communities and for the whales and dolphins themselves."

The Silurian is a period of geological time between 438 and 408 million years ago in the Palaeozoic era.