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What is BLUE CONNECT?
What is BLUE CONNECT?
BLUE CONNECT is a Mission Ocean funded project (funded by the European Union) running from 2024-2028 across 12 Demonstration sites. The aim for each site is to work with local managers, authorities, industries, and local communities, to co-develop, promote and demonstrate a coordinated collaborative approach to marine conservation (from monitoring, to planning and management).
There are 12 different Demonstration sites located across Europe, and excitingly, one of them is the Shetland and Fair Isle Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA)! As partners in the BLUE CONNECT project, UHI Shetland will focus specifically on enhancing our knowledge of marine mammals in this region. By trialling new monitoring technologies, exploring innovative conservation approaches, and working closely with local communities and industries, we aim to showcase how collaboration can lead to better understanding, protection and management of these vital marine species and their habitats.
What is the Shetland and Fair Isle 'Important Marine Mammal Area'?
What is the Shetland and Fair Isle 'Important Marine Mammal Area'?
The waters off Shetland and Fair Isle were identified as an IMMA in 2024. This means that they were identified by a team of experts (the 'Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force') as an area that is critically important habitat for a number of marine mammal species. The evidence gathered, which was largely comprised of community collected data, highlighted the area as important to some aspects of the biology, ecology or population structure (including, for example, for foraging, socialising, mating, resting), for
Harbour seal (selkie, taing fish) – Phoca vitulina
Harbour porpoise (neesick) – Phocoena phocoena
Grey Seal (selkie, haaf fish) – Halichoerus grypus
Killer whale – Orcinus orca
Minke whale (herring hogs) – Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Humpback whale – Megaptera novaeangliae
Risso's dolphin – Grampus griseus
Atlantic white-sided dolphin (looperdogs) – Lagenorhynchus acutus
White-beaked dolphin – Lagenorhynchus albirostris
What are the aims of BLUE CONNECT?
What are the aims of BLUE CONNECT?
Improve monitoring approaches
Support community collected data collection
Improve understanding of potential threats, such as entanglement
Trial innovative tools, technology and methodologies
Who is behind BLUE CONNECT?
Who is behind BLUE CONNECT?
At UHI Shetland, Rachel Shucksmith and Emily Hague are responsible for the daily running of the project. We are working closely with the wider BLUE CONNECT team, and with our local stakeholder working group, and a large number of collaborators.
Our Local Stakeholder Working Group include the Shetland Cetacean Group, Shetland Wildlife, NatureScot, UHI Shetland, local community volunteer representatives, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Salmon Scotland, Shetland Islands Council, Shetland Fishermen's Association, Seafood Shetland, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, the Scottish Government's Marine Directorate and University of Cumbria.
We would encourage any one interested to be involved to get in touch, there will be plenty of opportunities over the coming years to collaborate and work together. We are also keen to discuss sponsorship and funding opportunities to support BLUE CONNECT.
The BLUE CONNECT project is funded by the European Union, under the Horizon Ocean Mission funding (HORIZON-MISS-2023OCEAN-01).
All images credited to Hugh Harrop / Shetland Wildlife, except: Underwater kelp Credit Paul Hutchison, WDC Shorewatch at South Nesting Bay Credit Emily Hague / UHI Shetland, Harbour Porpoise aggregation Credit Sophie Smith / UHI Shetland
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