Marine wildlife events and activities
Between 2019 and 2024 the Scheme held nine introductory snorkelling events around the Isles for people to see first hand the underwater wildlife in the shallow bays and inlets on their island. These events were always well attended and for some participants, it was their first opportunity to explore the undersea environment first-hand, and to see marine animals in their natural habitat.
In addition to the introductory sessions, two ‘Seasearch’ courses were organized for those wanting to learn more about surveying and recording marine wildlife. Seasearch is a UK wide initiative run by the Marine Conservation Society for recreational divers, snorkelers and beachcombers, to collect habitat and species data. The sessions were led by local co-ordinator Karen Boswarva. www.seasearch.org.uk.
Other activities with a marine theme included rocky shore seaweed surveys in the North Isles, led by marine biologist Jenni Kakkonen, linking into the Natural History Museum’s Big Seaweed Search www.nhm.ac.uk.
Seaweeds were also explored through art activities in Eday and Sanday – in the latter, Katy Firth from Stromness Museum delivered a cyanotype printing workshop to create an artistic record from collected specimens.
Flapper Skate
Orkney is a stronghold for the critically endangered Flapper Skate – the largest skate species in the world. Innovative work was undertaken by the Orkney Skate Trust to learn more about Flapper Skate activity in the North Isles. Dan Wise from OST used Baited Remote Underwater Cameras (BRUV) to film the seabed at various ‘Skate hotspots’ around the isles.
A short film was created, aimed at raising awareness about this iconic species and promote the vital work undertaken by OST since the Trust’s formation in 2010. It is well worth watching and you can view it on the Orkney Skate Trust website www.orkneyskatetrust.com
Seagrass Project
Orkney’s seagrass meadows support numerous marine species including commercially important juvenile fish. They also provide a food source for migrating wildfowl, stabilize coastal sediment and sequester carbon - locking it into marine sediments.
NILPS funded vital work by Heriot Watt University, to gather knowledge about the presence, extent and condition of seagrass beds at selected sites in Westray and Stronsay. The project included the use of similar ‘BRUV’ technology to the Flapper Skate project, to assess the diversity and abundance of fish in the beds.
A key part of this project was to engage with the community, and MSc student Katy Waring alongside NILPS education co-ordinator Katy Firth worked with Westray school children to learn more about their local seagrass beds. They created some wonderful interpretation boards that are now housed in the Westray Heritage Centre.
