Exploring an unusual mass mortality event in the North Atlantic
This blog has been written by National Museums Scotland Curatorial Preparator and SMASS colleague Georg Hantke. It details his summer tour of the Scottish coast collecting samples from the unusually high number of stranded dead whales that were reported to SMASS. Several of these reports were received from fishermen who encountered carcasses floating at sea, and as […]
A whale of a time in Orkney and the far north east
Last week I returned to Orkney, visiting Scrabster on route and the far north-east coast of mainland Scotland to meet with more fishermen to discuss the marine life they encounter, their experiences of marine animal entanglements, hear their suggestions of why animals may become caught in fishing gear, and ways this could perhaps be prevented. […]
Is marine animal entanglement in Scottish waters really a problem?
As I work my way around the coast interviewing fishermen about their experiences, knowledge and perceptions of marine animal entanglements, some have questioned just how big a problem this might be. While a few fishermen have told me that they have experienced several animals caught in their gear over the years others have referred to […]
A minke and a great multi-organisational team effort
Marine animal stranding and entanglement rescue and recovery attempts often require a team effort, bringing together lots of different individuals and organisations to share their resources and expertise. Last week members of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) had the opportunity to work alongside the Scottish Coast Guard, Army, and local farmers when a minke whale live stranded […]
Encountering a whale entanglement – a Fisherman’s story
This blog was written by a creel fisherman operating off the west coast of Scotland and details a whale he was involved in disentangling several years ago. It is a great example of what and how the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) can learn from fishermen regarding the entanglement and disentanglement of large marine animals. […]
Adventures of a veterinary pathologist
This blog was written by SEA partner Dr Andrew Brownlow, veterinary pathologist with the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS). A wee tale about how, sometimes, it’s good to have a strong rope on a tail. It’s often the case when, turning up on a beach with your post-mortem kit, a bizarre combination of laboratory-grade […]
Minke whale entanglement – an update from the field
This blog is written by Stephen Marsh who is the Operations Manager with BDMLR, one of the six SEA partners. On Tuesday 10th July, crew on the wildlife trip boat run by Hebridean Whale Cruises out of Gairloch saw an entangled mike whale in the North Minch. The whale approached the boat on three occasions in […]
Courses, conferences and call-outs
Friday 13th July 2018 It’s been another busy couple of weeks for the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) partners. On Monday 9th July the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMASS) ran a citizen science course at their Inverness base, to train volunteers from around Scotland how to photograph and sample dead stranded animals for research purposes. […]
SEA hits the road
Sunday 1st July 2018 Ellie MacLennan, SEA project co-ordinator It’s been a busy but very rewarding couple of weeks for me as the SEA project officer, out and about meeting with fishermen along the west coast and completing the first 15 questionnaire interviews. This has also been a great opportunity to visit some for the […]
Who are the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) collaborators?
Nine individuals from six industry, research and conservation organisations make up the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) team. All bring unique expertise to the table and will contribute in a variety of ways to achieve the shared goal of working with Scottish fishermen to better understand the extent and impact of marine animal entanglements in our […]