About Us
A global leader in marine mammal consulting
SMRU Consulting is the world’s leading marine mammal consultancy with an unrivalled reputation for providing innovative, robust, and environmentally sound solutions for clients active in the marine environment.
Our team is trained in this highly specialized field to help our clients understand, assess, and mitigate the marine mammal challenge of their projects.
Services & Sectors
State-of-the-art marine mammal science encompassing all marine sectors
We specialize in the commercial delivery of cutting edge marine mammal science including survey design and implementation, population assessments, and risk frameworks. We work in a diverse range of marine sectors including renewables (wind, tidal, wave), research and development, decommissioning, government, infrastructure, and oil and gas. Our team is committed to providing practical, consistent, and timely results with a high level of attention to detail.
Our Projects
Understand | Assess | Mitigate
Our team provides expert review of developer Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Appropriate Assessments (AAs), and advice to non-commercial organisations in relation to Strategic Environmental Assessments in the marine environment.
We provide specialist input to all stages of the EIA process, from screening through to post construction monitoring on marine mammals, and bespoke research into marine mammal interactions with developments and human activities.
Our History
SMRU Consulting was set up in 2006 as the commercial arm of the academic Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St Andrews. Although separate entities, we work closely together, and jointly we bridge the gap between the academic and commercial worlds.
The academic Sea Mammal Research Unit is a Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funded research facility that carries out interdisciplinary marine mammal research and provides the UK’s main science capability in the field of marine mammal biology.
If you are looking for marine mammal academic research and expertise, please click on the button for the Sea Mammal Research Unit.
Our Latest Projects
What People Say About Us
Relating to Navitus Bay Windfarm EIA
Natural England acknowledges the consideration that has gone into devising an assessment methodology which attempts to attribute quantitative statements of significance of impact. The methodology is a welcome step in advancing EIA methods.
Relating to MCTs SeaGen
The expertise and knowledge of the team at SMRU Marine and SMRU, as world leaders in marine mammal research, played a crucial role in assembling an evidence base that demonstrated SeaGen, the world’s first commercial scale tidal stream turbine, is compatible with environmental protection in a highly sensitive and heavily protected area.
Relating to the development of PAMBuoy (now Decimus)
Building on the wealth of research and academic knowledge from the University of St Andrews, SMRU Limited has produced an exciting product which has significant global economic and environmental potential. We have worked closely with the company in recent years to support the commercialisation of this new technology and will continue to work with the organisation to help take PAMBuoy™ (now Decimus) to a global market place that is hungry for innovative, environmental technologies that support growing industries like the offshore renewable energy sector.
Latest News & Blogs
Understanding bottlenose dolphin movements along east Scotland
Impacts of offshore wind construction on harbour porpoises
World Oceans Day 2017
