Prolific plankton bloom in the seas around Wester Ross

Posted: Monday 2 June, 2008 @ 16:24:40

The warm, dry, sunny weather has prompted a prolific bloom of zooplankton in the seas around Wester Ross. Large shoals of mackerel have been seen ruffling the surface of the sea in many sea lochs and other coastal areas. In the spring and early summer, mackerel filter feed on plankton, skimming ‘plankton soup’ from the surface of the sea when it is calm. In some areas the soup is composed of high concentrations of Calanoid copepods. The mackerel shoals have attracted Minke whales which have been seen almost every day. Pods of Common and White-beaked dolphins have also been seen from the shore. The plankton bloom will provide food for many of the small animals including herring fry, upon which sea trout feed.