The Moray Firth bottlenose dolphin population is the world's northernmost resident group and is subject to intense welfare monitoring and human disturbance management.
Repeated disturbance of individual dolphins from tour boats causes chronic stress and disrupts nursing and foraging behaviour. High-speed vessel approaches cause fright responses and separation of mother-calf pairs. Pollution from agricultural run-off bioaccumulates in top predators. The Moray Firth SAC management plan attempts to balance tourism with welfare protection.