Marine Life & Conservation
Unprecedented effort to protect Orcas with citizen science: the 2019 Orca Watch event results are out!
For ten days in late May, tourists, wildlife enthusiasts and local businesses around Caithness, Orkney and Shetland support Orca Watch, a citizen science project organized by the Sea Watch Foundation now in its 8th year, hoping to catch a glimpse of killer whales otherwise known as orcas, and any other species of cetacean (whale, dolphin and porpoise) visiting the waters of the Pentland Firth.
They stand endlessly from cliff tops and from the John O’Groats ferry decks, collecting sightings, behaviour, geographical positions and photographs of orcas and any other cetacean species which passes by.
The idea of organizing this event started with Colin Bird, Sea Watch’s long-standing Regional Coordinator for North-East Scotland, and was influenced by concerns over the possibility of underwater turbines installed in the Pentland Firth. This initiated the first seasonal watch in 2012 to gather information on how orcas use this area and what might be the consequences of such an installation.
“Without knowing how orcas or other cetaceans use the Pentland Firth, or which role they play in the ecosystem in the area, it is impossible for scientists and conservationists to know how to develop plans to protect them” says Dr Chiara Giulia Bertulli, Sightings Officer and lead organizer of this year’s Orca Watch event.
The Sea Watch Foundation in collaboration with eight other organizations (Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Scottish Natural Heritage, John O’Groats Ferries, Pulteneytown People’s Project, RSPB Orkney, Sanday Development Trust, High Life Highland Countryside Rangers, and the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust) aims to change that with a research project that enlists the help of citizen scientists from all around Scotland and its offshore Isles.
During the 2019 Orca Watch, hundreds of volunteer observers spent almost 200 hours (100 more than in 2018) collecting 122 sightings of seven different cetacean species, stationed at 30 land watch sites (main site at Duncansby Head, Caithness) and aboard one vessel (operated by the John O’Groats Ferries) around Caithness, Orkney, and Shetland. Orca sightings were also sent in from the west coast of Scotland and the Hebrides.
LOCATIONS OF CETACEAN SIGHTINGS (N=122) COLLECTED DURING THE 2019 ORCA WATCH EVENT (MAY 17-26). COPYRIGHT: SEA WATCH FOUNDATION.
Species seen includes orca, Risso’s dolphin, humpback whale, harbour porpoise, short-beaked common dolphin, minke whale, long-finned pilot whale.
“This looks like being the best Orca Watch event of the last few years”, reported Dr Chiara Giulia Bertulli.
Harbour porpoises were the most commonly sighted species during Orca Watch. This species was recorded 46 times (38% of all records).
The Orcas were the second most commonly sighted species during Orca Watch, with 27 sightings (22%). Groups varied in size from a single individual to a group of 10 with an average group size of 3. Sightings were distributed around Orkney and Caithness, with few sightings also reported from Sutherland (Handa Island) and from the Outer Hebrides (Isle of Lewis). Orcas were first spotted on May 17st from Hoxa Head (Orkney) and on May 19th they were sighted off both Handa Island and Gary Beach, Isle of Lewis. On May 20th they were sighted from three different location around Orkney (Buwick, Hoxa Head, Lidell) and then in Caithness on May 21st during the morning ferry ride onboard the Pentland Venture (John O’Groats Ferries). After two days of bad weather and no further sightings morale seemed low. However at dusk on May 24th they were finally sighted at the Stacks of Duncansby and remained in the area through May 25th and 26th. Two known orcas were also sighted on May 26th from Burwick and Duncansby and from onboard the John O’Groats ferries. They are commonly referred to as “Hulk” and “Nótt”, which are orcas that are known to travel between Iceland and Scotland on foraging trips.
Image: Robert Foubister
Minke whales were the third most abundant species recorded during Orca Watch, with 26 sightings being made, accounting for 21% of all records.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine it would be that amazing! – spending the whole day watching them swimming off Hoxa Head as the light started to fade was something I am not going to forget easily” said Christina Worth, a Sea Watch Volunteer Observer, who sighted the orcas during her land-watch off Hoxa Head.
“Other interesting sightings from this year’s Orca Watch week included a humpback whale sighted off Nista Skerries, Uyea, a lone common dolphin encountered on May 21st off Gletness, Shetland, and many close encounters with minke whales sighted off Duncansby Head”, added Chiara.
“We are very pleased with the amount of information we have gathered during this year’s Orca Watch and our immense gratitude goes to our lead volunteer organizers from all of the groups (particularly Anna Jemmett, Lucy Baldwin, Steve Truluck, Rob Lott, Karen Hall, Emma Neave-Webb, Colin Bird, and Karen Munro), to all our network of volunteer observers, regional coordinators, to our partners and to all the local businesses that have pitched in, offered generous discounts and taken great care of all our Orca Watchers”, concluded Chiara.
For more information on the work of the Sea Watch Foundation visit their website by clicking here.
The Ocean Cleanup, the global non-profit project, has removed a verified all-time total of ten million kilograms (22 million lbs.) of trash from oceans and rivers around the world – approximately the same weight as the Eiffel Tower.
To complete its mission of ridding the oceans of plastic, The Ocean Cleanup uses a dual strategy: cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) to remove the plastic already afloat in the oceans, while stopping the flow of plastic from the world’s most polluting rivers.
Through cleaning operations in the GPGP and in rivers in eight countries, the cumulative total of trash removed has now surpassed ten million kilograms. This milestone demonstrates the acceleration of The Ocean Cleanup’s impact, while underlining the astonishing scale of the plastic pollution problem and the need for continued support and action.
While encouraging for the mission, this milestone is only a staging point: millions more tons of plastic still pollute our oceans and The Ocean Cleanup intends to continue learning, improving and innovating to solve this global catastrophe.
This announcement comes as governments from around the world meet to continue negotiations to develop a new legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution at INC4 in Ottawa, Canada. Representatives of The Ocean Cleanup will be in attendance and the organization will be urging decision-makers to collaborate towards a comprehensive and ambitious global treaty which addresses plastic at all stages of its life cycle and in all marine environments worldwide, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
It is encouraging to see that the need for remediation is reflected in the various options for potential treaty provisions. It is essential that the final treaty contains clear targets for the remediation of legacy plastic pollution, and reduction of riverine plastic emissions.
Tackling plastic pollution requires innovative and impactful solutions. The treaty should therefore incentivize the innovation ecosystem by fostering innovations that make maximal use of data, technology and scientific knowledge – such as those designed and deployed by The Ocean Cleanup.
‘After many tough years of trial and error, it’s amazing to see our work is starting to pay off – and I am proud of the team who has brought us to this point.’ said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. ‘While we still have a long way to go, our recent successes fill us with renewed confidence that the oceans can be cleaned.’
The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 and captured its first plastic in 2019, with the first confirmed catch in the GPGP coming soon after the deployment of Interceptor 001 in Jakarta, Indonesia. After surpassing one million kilograms of trash removed in early 2022, the non-profit project has since progressed to the third iteration of its GPGP cleaning solution, known as System 03, and a network of Interceptors currently covering rivers in eight countries, with more deployments set for 2024.
About The Ocean Cleanup
The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal through a dual strategy: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up the legacy plastic that has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To curb the tide via rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed Interceptor™ solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 140. The foundation is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.
Marine Life & Conservation
Steve Backshall to headline Shark Trust’s flagship event: For the Love of Sharks
Join a host of amazing, shark loving, speakers including Steve Backshall and the Shark Trust team for an evening celebrating shark conservation at the Royal Geographical Society in London this November.
Date: 29th November 2024
Time: 6-10pm
Location: Royal Geographical Society, London
Tickets: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
The event will be a celebration of all things shark. Those lucky enough to get hold of tickets will hear from engaging guest speakers with a passion for sharks.
The line-up includes (*subject to change if unforeseen circumstances arise)
Steve Backshall: One of television’s busiest presenters, BAFTA award-winning wildlife expert Steve has been passionate about the wild world ever since he was young.
Steve’s impressive TV career has taken him all around the world, investigating a wide array of species and environments. Steve has filmed over 100 hours of children’s wildlife programmes with the BAFTA award winning Deadly 60 franchise and recently, with Sky Nature, for his new series ‘Whale with Steve Backshall’. He has been a patron for the Shark Trust for 10 years.
Simon Rogerson: is a photojournalist specialising in natural history, diving and the sea.
He is editor of SCUBA magazine, the official journal of the British Sub-Aqua Club. Simon started his career as a crime reporter but gravitated towards his ‘less depressing’ interest in underwater exploration, joining the staff of DIVE magazine in 1999. In 2005 he was named ‘Editor of the Year’ in the PPA’s Independent Publishing Awards. Simon also works as a freelance writer, contributing frequently to the Sunday Times and Telegraph, in addition to BBC Wildlife, Esquire, and a host of international diving magazines. He is the author of a book, Dive Red Sea, published by Ultimate Sports. Now based in Berkshire, Simon has been a Patron of the Shark Trust for 20 years.
More speakers to be announced soon. Head to the Shark Trust website to learn more.
The evening will also allow guests the final chance to see the Oceanic 31, shark art exhibition. Some of the artwork will be auctioned/raffled at the event, while the rest will be auctioned online to raise money for the Shark Trust Oceanic Programme.
For the Love of Sharks is an evening with something for everyone who is interested and fascinated by sharks. Join the Shark Trust, their Patrons, Trustees and Staff, along with a host of supporters for this celebration of shark conservation.
For more information or to buy a ticket: https://www.sharktrust.org/Event/flos24
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