We welcomed a number of wildlife tour providers and boat operators to our first ever Whale Track Boat Operator Event, sharing good practice and celebrating the contributions these companies make to marine science.
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2023 was a record-breaking year for marine conservation charity the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) and their Whale Track community of citizen scientists. For the first time in the Trusts 30-year history, over 10,000 sightings of whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks were reported by members of the public in one year.
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It’s been an exciting year for sightings across the west coast of Scotland. It’s been a particularly busy year for sightings of the West Coast Community members, John Coe and Aquarius. Between February and October 2022, the famous pair have been Photo ID’d across a total of 33 days, with their location ranging from the Hebrides, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Photo credit: EmmaJane-HebridesCruises
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Although rare, humpback whales are now being sighted with increasing regularity in Scottish waters - with the 100th whale documented this year. They are known to migrate through Scottish waters between their feeding and breeding grounds. Find out how citizen scientists are deepening the understanding of these awesome creatures
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Dr Conor Ryan - HWDT alumni now Science Committee member - has published an incredibly interesting paper on the historical occurrence of whales in Scottish waters. By utilising old whaling records, Conor and his colleagues begin to shed some light on the species which used to inhabit our waters and what we might expect to see if our seas recover from past exploitation.
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Silurian - our research vessel - and her team of dedicated volunteers circumnavigated the Isle of Lewis during the seventh research expedition of the 2022 summer field season. Battling through some challenging conditions, the team were rewarded with some great encounters on the way back to Stornoway. Here Craig Mackie, Science Officer on board, recalls the expedition
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Monitoring Hebridean seas is well underway, with Silurian - our research vessell - completing her fifth expedition of the 2022 Summer field season. Some great conditions allowed us to gather data from some of the more remote and exposed parts of our study area. Here, Craig Mackie, Science Officer on board, recalls details of the expedition
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We’re well underway with our monitoring Hebridean seas this year, with Silurian, our research vessel, completing her fourth expedition of the 2023 summer field season. Some challenging conditions didn't dampen the spirits of the fantastic citizen scientists who joined us on board…the encounters with whales, dolphins and porpoises helped too!
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