Fin-omenal sightings during fifth research expedition of 2025!
Over nine days, the team aboard Silurian, HWDT’s dedicated research vessel, surveyed over 550km of Hebridean seas, collecting vital visual and acoustic data. One for the record books, citizen scientists had an unforgettable display of Scotland’s marine megafauna. Read all about their experiences here…
Each field season, we set sail on research expeditions across Scotland’s west coast, inviting passionate individuals to join us in safeguarding marine life. By collecting vital data, these hands-on voyages are helping to deepen the understanding of species and drive real change to protect the whales, dolphins, and porpoises in Scotland’s seas.
From Mallaig to the northern Minch and back, citizen scientists aboard Silurian had a spectacular seven-day survey. From the get-go, sightings rolled in with a minke whale and harbour porpoise appearing before we’d even gone ‘on effort’ during a man-over-board drill, setting the tone for what would become an extraordinary survey.
Anchoring at one the best anchorages on the west coast, the Shiant Islands welcomed us with thousands of seabirds: puffins, guillemots and razorbills! And even skuas circling above as we landed ashore and hiked to the top.
The real showstopper came mid-voyage when, across two days, we encountered four species of cetacean! Risso’s dolphins, white-beaked dolphins (including a calf with foetal folds!) and minke whales were spotted within minutes of each other amongst a mass feeding frenzy of gannets and gulls.
Followed the next day by ‘minke madness’ in the morning - we eventually stopped going ‘with whale’ so as to leave the bay. Fin whales, spotted by their huge column blows in the distance over 1000m away, were encountered crossing the Minch; breaking the water near a feeding frenzy that included minkes and dolphins.
Not even weather and swell could dull spirits as helm karaoke helped ease the stormy seas returning towards Mallaig with A cacophony of ‘CREEEEEEL’ shouts echoed throughout the boat as we counted 558 creel sets across the west coast. An unexpected pub visit, sea swims, double leaning jowler and a surprise sighting of a mermaid (yes, really) appearing to celebrate World Ocean Day.
Over nine days, we recorded an impressive 141 marine mammal sightings across 550km of coastal and offshore waters, including reaching the furthest north in our survey area so far this field season - Tiumpan Head! We encountered nine species of marine mammal, including: harbour porpoise, common dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, white-beaked dolphins, minke whales and fin whales!! As well as otters, grey seals and common seals. We also encountered many sea birds, including multiple groups of diving gannets, light and dark phase arctic skuas, storm petrels and white-tailed eagles.
52 hours of data collection occurred during the survey period, including 38 hours of acoustic recordings using our towed hydrophone equipment. Further acoustic analysis will allow us to understand whether vocalisations of some of our less frequently encountered species, namely fin whales, Risso’s dolphins and white-beaked dolphins, are present within the data. Gathering this vital acoustic data will deepen and develop our understanding of the distribution, abundance and behaviour of these animals in Hebridean waters.
During this expedition, we encountered a large number of creels across the survey area. HWDT are part of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) project, which brings together commercial creel fisherman, NatureScot, research scientists, and marine mammal conservation and rescue charities to understand the scale and impact of marine animal entanglement in Scottish waters and work together to mitigate against it.
Entanglement is a global problem and is the single largest cause of death for minke and humpback whales in Scottish waters. By monitoring and understanding the distribution of creel fishing effort in Hebridean waters aboard Silurian, we can work collaboratively towards healthy Scottish seas for whales, dolphins, porpoises and people. This project illustrates that collaborative efforts between government, industry, academia, and conservation organisations can significantly enhance the development and implementation of effective solutions to reduce and mitigate marine animal entanglement in Scottish waters.
Throughout the seven-day voyage, the expedition team surveyed more than 550 km of waters along Scotland’s West Coast, recording 141 marine mammal sightings spanning nine different species and accumulating 52 hours of data collection.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR TEAM OF CITIZEN SCIENTISTS WHO JOINED THIS EXPEDITION: PAM, CHARLIE, JESS, TIM, LAURA AND JONATHAN.