Pelagic Predators

Since autumn 2025, we have been working with some of Shetland's local pelagic fishing fleet to collect data on the marine mammals, particularly killer whales, that interact with the mackerel fishery. Little is known about these whales - who they are, how many there are of them, and where they spend their time when they are not associating with the mackerel fishery. We look forward to working with the pelagic fishery in the coming years to collect more data (mainly photo-ID, along with underwater video footage, acoustic data etc.) to begin to better understand this population of whales.  

Get involved?

If you would like to submit photos or videos taken during pelagic fishing, or would like to hear more about the project, please reach out to Emily emily.hague@uhi.ac.uk