POLICE are investigating claims a jetski rider disturbed a pod of bottlenose dolphins, including a young calf, by steering too close to the protected species.

Officers are appealing for witnesses following the incident to the west of the Kessock Bridge, between Inverness harbour and South Kessock, on Sunday at around 8.15pm.

The jetski believed to have been involved has been seized.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "The inquiry is ongoing. The owner of the jetski is known to us but officers are still gathering evidence as to whether a wildlife crime has been committed."

The 200 Moray Firth dolphins are one of only two known resident populations of bottlenose dolphins in UK waters.

It is the last remaining population in the North Sea, and the most northerly in the world. The creatures are classed as vulnerable.

They are protected by the Marine Scotland Act and are listed under Annex II of the EC Habitats Directive as a species whose conservation requires the designation of Special Areas of Conservation.

Disturbing them can constitute a wildlife crime.

Such is their popularity, their draw is estimated to be worth at least £4 million a year to the Scottish economy, with visitors flocking to the numerous dolphin-spotting boat trip operators, who have agreed a code of practice.