Silurian Season Highlights: 2023 Achievements
Over 90 people joined an expedition on board our research vessel, Silurian, during the 2023 field season. Trained in data collection and survey protocol, these citizen scientists joined a community of people helping to improve the understanding of whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks off Scotland’s west coast and safeguard them for future generations.
Thanks to everyone who joined us on board Silurian, sixteen expeditions were completed during the 2023 field season. The visual and acoustic data gathered will be added to the colossal database held on whales, dolphins, porpoises, and basking sharks found off Scotland’s west coast. Every single data point in that database – and there are millions of them – has been collected by the wonderful people who have joined an expedition.
SURVEY EFFORT
Survey coverage was widespread over the 2023 summer field season, generating 7,705km of effort-based data. Visual and acoustic data was collected across the west coast of Scotland; from the waters off southern Islay to the seas off the northwest Highlands and out west, past the Outer Isles to the Flannan Isles.
Each line represents a passage where effort-based data was collected
VISUAL SIGHTINGS
Over 4,500 individual marine animals were recorded this year, including: 3,251 common dolphins, 192 minke whales, 462 harbour porpoise and multiple sightings of blue-fin tuna! John Coe and Aquarius of the West Coast Community killer whales were recorded during an expedition in September. Some incredible minke whale encounters occurred this year: 10 minke whales lunge feeding in the same area among foraging seabirds; plus, multiple instances of breaching behaviour. It was a great year for minke whale sightings.
ACOUSTIC DATA
During 2023 expeditions, 534 hours of acoustic data was recorded. The acoustic monitoring on board is a unique element of the Silurian experience and the data gathered is increasingly being called upon to monitor species and map the changing soundscape of the Hebridean marine environment. Acoustic data collection can also preserve our natural history. During expeditions, the West Coast Community of killer whales have been recorded – including during the 2023 field season. Earlier this year, the British Library archived these recordings – the ‘voices’ of the West Coast Community - into their acoustic library of extinct species and lost human languages, preserving these precious recordings for future generations.
PHOTO-ID
Photo-ID has helped deepen the understanding of species at an individual and population level. In 2023, a new Minke Whale Catalogue was launched, documenting over 300 minke whales which have been recorded off the west coast of Scotland – many from photographs taken during expeditions on board Silurian. This vital conservation resource evidences how important the Hebrides are for minke whales. It will also help strengthen international understanding of minke whale movements through collaboration with researchers in other countries, contributing to wide-scale conservation action to protect these animals throughout their range.
Click on the image to explore the Minke Whale Catalogue
A huge thank you to all of the citizen scientists that have made our 2023 season a success! Your contribution to this long-term data collection programme - which spans back over twenty years! - cannot be underestimated. Your contribution to conservation is significant and the work done to protect marine life off Scotland’s west coast is thanks to you.