Moray Firth Special Protection Area for wildlife conservation purposes. The Moray Firth contains a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) designated under the EU Habitats Directive, which is one of the largest Marine Protection Areas in Europe. The SAC protects the inner waters of the Moray Firth, from a line between Lossiemouth (on the south coast) and Helmsdale (on the north coast) westwards. Moray Firth The Moray Firth (; Scottish Gaelic: "An Cuan Moireach", "Linne Mhoireibh" or "Caolas Mhoireibh") is a roughly triangular inlet (or firth) of the North Sea, north and east of Inverness, which is in the Highland council area of
Firth North Sea. The Northern Isles were part of Norway until the 15th century, and retain many Norse names. In Shetland in particular, "firth" can refer to smaller inlets, although geo, voe and wick are as common. In Orkney, "wick" is common. In the Scottish Gaelic language, "linne" is used to refer to most of the firths above; it is also applied to the Sound of Sleat, Crowlin Sound, Cuillin Sound, Sound of Jura, Sound of Raasay, and part of Loch Linnhe. The following is a selection of other bodies of water in Scotland which are similar to various firths, but