Moray Firth - Definition and Overview

Moray Firth is a roughly triangular area of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness. It is the largest firth in Scotland, stretching from Duncansby Head in the north, to Fraserburgh in the east, to the Beauly Firth and Inverness in the west. It has more than 800 kilometres (about 500 miles) of coastline, much of which is cliffs.

A number of rivers flow into Moray Firth, including the River Spey, as do Cromarty Firth, Dornoch Firth and Beauly Firth.

Moray Firth is one of the most important places on the U.K. coast for observing dolphins and whales. The most common species are the Bottlenose Dolphin and the Harbour Porpoise.

It is also an important oil field and fishing grounds. The Beatrice oil field in the Outer Morary Firth is the closest of the North Sea oil fields; it is also the (as of 2004) planned home for a 200-turbine deep-water wind farm. Much of the fishing industry focuses on scallops and Norway lobsters.

Inner Moray Firth is a designated as a Special Protection Area for wildlife conservation purposes.

External links

• Moray Firth Wildlife Centre (http://www.mfwc.co.uk)
• Moray Firth Partnership (http://www.morayfirth-partnership.org/)