Funding Boost for UHI Shetland’s New Whale and Dolphin Survey Programme

UHI Shetland is delighted to have been awarded funding from the Viking Community Fund to deliver an exciting new two-year whale and dolphin monitoring programme around Shetland.

The project will see researchers undertake two dedicated marine mammal photo-identification surveys every month, gathering valuable information on the whales and dolphins that visit Shetland’s internationally important waters.

The surveys will help improve understanding of the distribution, movements, and long-term population trends of local cetacean species, providing essential evidence to support future conservation and management efforts.

Local volunteers and groups will have the opportunity to join survey trips, working alongside experienced researchers to learn how marine mammal surveys are conducted and how photo-identification techniques are used to recognise individual animals from natural markings on their fins and bodies.

Participants will gain hands-on experience spotting, identifying, and recording whales and dolphins at sea while directly contributing to ongoing scientific research.

Dr Emily Hague, marine mammal researcher at UHI Shetland and project lead, said “We are delighted to have secured this funding to enable us to conduct two years of valuable survey effort, helping us understand and gain data on the cetaceans in Shetlands seas. I’m especially excited about bringing out local volunteers with us to train and gain new skills and would warmly invite anybody to contact us if they’re interested in being involved or know a group that would benefit from coming out surveying with us”.

Project staff hope the initiative will inspire and upskill those that get involved, providing new opportunities to gain hands on experience, whilst strengthening connections between Shetland’s communities and the rich marine environment on their doorstep.

Shetland Community Benefit Fund Manager, Eleanor Gear, said “We are thrilled to fund a project that combines scientific research with real community involvement, helping to protect and better understand Shetland’s unique marine environment”.

Anyone interested in getting involved is encouraged to see the project website for further information https://www.shetlandmarinemammals.com with contact details available via the Contact Us page.