Wednesday 1

Sheltering in Sandaig bay, Loch Nevis, while a right hoolie blows (gale force 9 in open water). Making good use of the time playing ‘who am I?’ using cards with local sea mammals and birds.

We are 6 volunteers, all involved in marine studies; 4 marine biology students and a MMO (marine mammal observer). I asked everyone if they had their own research vessel (and funding etc), what would they research. Almost all said some aspect of whale research. Mostly studying the whales themselves, one studying the feed sources of whales. 

This prompted me to ask ‘why whales?’ Why are whales important. Some great answers.

Like other apex species, such as tigers, looking after them naturally means their environment is looked after and preserved, ie our oceans.

Secondly, whales offer a unique service to the oceans’ nutrients: many whales dive incredibly deep to feed on squid etc which live on the ocean bottoms. Obviously whales need to surface to breathe, and as they do they defaecate, which provides an incredibly rich nutrient source for the micro organisms, such as plankton and krill. So whales are effectively bringing nutrients up from the ocean floor to the surface where they become available for other marine species. 

The view of remote mainland (only accessible by boat or on foot) from the saloon