Scottish ferry operator CalMac appoints a Wildlife Officer

Caledonian MacBrayne (Scottish Gaelic: Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually referred to as CalMac, operates passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast. Now CalMac has seconded a full time ORCA Wildlife Officer to help educate crew and passengers about marine life across the west coast of Scotland. 

The appointment follows four years of work by the ferry firm and ORCA, monitoring mammals like whales and dolphins in the Minch. The Minch, along with Little Minch and the Sea of the Hebrides separates the Outer Hebrides from the Scottish mainland and from the Inner Hebrides. The new CalMac dedicated wildlife officer, Andy Gilbert, will now be working as a full-time conservation expert across the CalMac fleet on the west coast. Describing the opportunity his appointment provides he said: "The more we learn about the diversity of what lives in our seas, the greater understanding we will have about how to conserve it for future generations."

ORCA is a whale and dolphin conservation charity which helps to collect data about whales, dolphins and porpoises, in order to assist with marine conservation. Its OceanWatch programme brings together shipping companies internationally to collect data on marine mammals to increase understanding of the animals' distribution around the coast. CalMac's Environmental Manager, Klare Chamberlain said:  'We're really looking forward to working with Andy to help raise awareness of the terrific diversity of wildlife we are privileged to work alongside every day.'