Photos by ©Orkney Skate Trust
Scotland’s marine environment supports the largest known skate in the world – the flapper skate, and the waters around the Orkney archipelago provide an excellent refuge with optimal conditions for their survival. Due to historic high mortality rates from angling and fisheries, the flapper skate has been in decline in Scottish waters for several decades – it is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List and is recognised as a priority marine feature in Scotland.
In recognition of the endangered status of flapper skate, the Orkney Skate Trust (OST) was established by a group of volunteers in 2010. To date, OST have delivered a range of projects including:
- Tag and release angling – providing key biological, and spatial data on flapper skate around Orkney.
- Marine Survey – OST works closely with the diving community to record sightings of flapper skate and live egg cases on the seabed.
- Egg Case Records – OST records information on egg cases that have washed ashore using its network of volunteers.
- Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) – OST have designed, built and tested three designs of BRUV frame since 2019 and have become leaders in the deployment of these novel survey frames in citizen science.
“For a small, voluntary organisation like OST, the small pots of funding made available through SMEEF have been highly beneficial. Furthermore, the fast pace at which SMEEF operates, along with the light-touch reporting requirements, are beneficial to organisations like OST.” Dan Wise, Chairman, Orkney Skate Trust
In 2021 and 2022 SMEEF was able to provide grants totalling £20,066 to support this work using resources from the Nature Restoration Fund.