Looking back on an incredible summer season!
It was another amazing season on board our research vessel Silurian, with monitoring expeditions departing from Tobermory, Ullapool and Kyle of Lochalsh. An impressive 4,476.3 nautical miles (8290.1 km) was covered over fourteen surveys. Our citizen scientists - all members of the public with an enthusiasm for marine conservation - collected visual and acoustic data, spending over 625 hours on effort and gathering over 635 hours of acoustic recordings.
Tracklines from April - October 2019
During the season we surveyed the northern, western and southern reaches of our survey area; sailing right up to Cape Wrath, around the Flannan Isles and spotting Ireland as we sailed past Islay. We we able to survey in some of the most remote areas in the Hebrides. Silurian circumnavigated the whole of the Outer Isles, sailing around Barra Head and the Butt of Lewis, through the spectacular Shiant Islands and right out to Stanton banks. We also anchored at some spectacular bays and beaches. Highlights included anchoring at Colonsay on HWDT04, the Wizard’s pool at North Uist on HWDT03 and the Monach Isles and Mingualy on HWDT12, to name but a few!
During our research surveys we had some unforgettable wildlife encounters, with 1,170 sightings of marine megafauna and 3,244 individuals encountered. Nine marine mammal species were recorded including 684 sightings of cetacean species and 472 sightings of seals, as well as 14 basking sharks!
The two killer whale sightings were amongst the many highlights of the season. The first happened on HWDT06 on a rather rainy and windy day near Loch Laxford, with five killer whales spotted; including a female and a calf. Taking photographs of the pod was a bit of a challenge in the large swell and intermittent showers, but luckily the pod stayed in the same area for half an hour, seemingly feeding beneath the waves. After the survey we were able to identify one of the killer whales as Busta, a well-known male in the Northern Isles Community. The second encounter happened on our last day of the summer season and what a way to end the season! This time two killer whales from the West Coast Community were sighted, John Coe and Aquarius! Killer whales can move very quickly when they want to, but the pair didn’t seem in a hurry to be anywhere, instead travelling slowly, spending time at the surface interacting with each other and socialising. Many people dream of encounters like these and I’m sure the memories and emotions from both of the encounters will last with us all forever!
We also had some incredible minke whale encounters, including some incredibly curious individuals on the first survey of the season, who swam over for a closer look. We also had lunging minkes right next to Silurian on one of the last surveys, when we realised that we were surrounded by at least eight minke whales. That day became known as ‘Super Saturday’ as we also encountered pod after pod of common dolphins, recording over 250 individuals, in flat calm seas and blazing sunshine! In fact common dolphins put on quite a show throughout the season, often coming over to bow ride with their whistles recorded by the hydrophone.
What truly makes this year special though, as it does every year, are the citizen scientists that join us on board. We always have such a great time exploring new places, playing games and forming new friendships. This season we had people join us from all over Europe, with many new faces, as well as some very familiar ones. Jan joined us on board for an incredible tenth survey, with Bill just behind with nine surveys under his belt! A massive thanks to all of the the citizen scientists who have joined on board, we couldn't collect the vital data without you! You have all been so fantastic this year!
However, the year is not over for Silurian! We are now going into the winter season, with winter survey expeditions each month from November - March. The new multi-year programme will provide an incredible opportunity to learn about the year-round presence of marine mammals and basking sharks in Hebridean seas. These surveys are important given that little winter data currently exists for the region. Stay tuned to find out more!
Feeling inspired to get involved with our marine conservation efforts? We have just released the dates for our 2020 season, come and join us on board for your chance to contribute to our research, encounter some of the cetaceans in our waters and experience some spectacular scenery.
Thanks to Scottish Natural Heritage who help fund the data collection programme aboard Silurian.