Who will win this clash of dolphins versus our oil on troubled waters?

It is a classic conservation-versus-development dispute. Desire to find more oil and gas reserves off Scotland’s coast is clashing with concern for a colony of renowned bottlenose dolphins which is also a valuable asset – in tourism terms.

Yesterday the Scottish Government came out fighting for the dolphins and said they should not be affected by the search for reserves below the Moray Firth.
Both sides have strong arguments. The UK’s oil and gas industry provides three-quarters of the country’s energy needs and supports 400,000 jobs.

With up to 25 billion barrels of oil and gas still to recover from British waters, the new licensing round provides a range of opportunities for companies to find and develop the UK’s remaining hydrocarbons.

But the dolphins, too, have impressive statistics. The 130-strong Moray Firth population generates nearly