Orkney Marine Mammal Research Initiative - OMMRI

14/07/2026

Today is World Orca Day, and we couldn't have asked for better timing. It's been a long, quiet spell for sightings around Sanday recently, so it was brilliant to have killer whale duo, Hulk and Nott visit on two consecutive days this weekend.

Hulk ( #62) and Nott ( #155) are both known travellers between Iceland (winter) and Scotland (summer), and are part of the wider catalogued population that's been photo identified across both countries for over two decades, Their Iceland IDs are IS015 for Hulk (known as Supreme in the Icelandic catalogue) and IS229 for Nott. The pair are usually (but not always) seen together these days and thought to possibly be brothers.

On Saturday evening they were seen in Lopness Bay heading west. Then on Sunday, thanks to the alert raised by the eagle-eyed team at North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory who spotted them in North Ronaldsay Firth, we were able to pick them up crossing Scuthvie Bay towards Start Point. From there we tracked them over the course of the evening across Lopness Bay, around Tresness and through Stywick Bay to Elsness before we lost the light.

It was great to get some of the local community as well as visitors onto the animals too, there were some very excited folk watching them move through the bays.

Sightings like this matter, they help us understand how these animals are using Orkney waters and when. If you spot any cetaceans, please get in touch via our Telegram sightings group, email us, or report through the website.

Thanks again to North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory for the sharp eyes (we're delighted to hear that North Ronaldsay had another killer whale sighting this morning, although the identity of those animals isn't yet known), and happy World Orca Day from all of us at OMMRI.

01/07/2026

Following our recent post sharing the SMRU and NatureScot report on the decline of seals in Scottish waters, we are giving seals a higher profile within OMMRI's work, and this is where that begins.
On 16th June, one of our trustees attended the SCOS (Special Committee on Seals) day, hosted by SMRU Consulting at the University of St Andrews. It was an eye-opening day spent getting to grips with the current status of harbour seals and grey seals in Scottish waters.

The programme covered seal population trends, insights into seal behaviour, and emerging research into the stress responses of seals. Plenty to take back to our own patch, and a good reminder that our two resident pinnipeds deserve as much attention as the cetaceans we usually post about.

More seal content to come.

30/06/2026

📱 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐘

Today is Social Media Day, and we want to make a case for something that might sound slightly unlikely: social media is one of the most effective cetacean research tools we have.

Bear with us.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡
A dedicated research vessel operating in Orkney waters could cover a meaningful area on a good day. It would carry trained observers, standardised methodology, and would generate high quality data from every hour on the water. It would also cost a significant amount of money to charter, require favourable weather, and be in one place at a time. On a typical survey day it might cover a transect or two, log a handful of sightings, and return to port. Valuable. Rigorous. Limited in reach.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡
On the same day, OMMRI's Telegram Sightings Group has members on ferries, fishing boats, clifftops, beaches and piers right across the archipelago. Throughout our survey areas from the Pentland Firth to the top of North Ronaldsay, people are watching out for sightings. They are not trained surveyors following a transect. They are people going about their lives who happen to look at the sea and know where to send what they see. Collectively, they cover more water in a single day than a research vessel could manage in a week. And it costs nothing.

OMMRI is a small, all-volunteer grassroots charity with very limited funding. We do not have a research vessel on permanent station. We do not have the budget to commission dedicated survey effort across the archipelago on a regular basis. What we do have is a community of people who are already out there, already looking, and willing to tell us what they see.

Orkney has historically been a data-poor area for cetacean research. The animals are here, and have always been here, but the infrastructure to systematically record their presence has not always matched the opportunity. Social media, and the real-time reporting it enables, is filling that gap in a way that would have been impossible a generation ago. The data our network generates is valid, robust and scientifically useful. It is not a substitute for dedicated survey effort, but it is a genuinely valuable tool for building a baseline understanding of which species use these waters, when, and where. And in the absence of significant funding for formal survey work, it is often the most comprehensive record we have.

This is not a dig at dedicated survey effort, which remains essential and produces data of a quality that opportunistic reporting cannot match. It is simply an honest assessment of what a well-connected community of observers can achieve, and what social media makes possible that simply did not exist twenty years ago.

The walrus in Stronsay. The s***m whales in the Stronsay Firth spotted by ferry crew. The killer whale reports that come in within minutes of an animal surfacing off a headland. The first minke whale of the season. All of it lands in our records because someone reached for their phone.

So today, on Social Media Day, we will say it plainly: thank you for being part of this. The data you generate matters. The network you form is irreplaceable. And if you are not yet part of it, the link is below.

📲 Join our Telegram Sightings Group: https://t.me/+2cKGO91r68EyMzk8
📧 [email protected]
🌊 https://ommri.org/report-a-sighting/

29/06/2026

📷 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐘

Today is National Camera Day, and we have a very good reason to celebrate it. The camera is one of the most powerful tools in cetacean research, and you don't need specialist equipment to contribute. Every photo taken of a cetacean in Orkney waters has the potential to tell us something useful, and in some cases, something remarkable.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫
Many cetacean species can be identified as individuals from photographs. Risso's dolphins are identified by the pattern of scarring on their bodies, which is unique to each animal. Killer whales are identified by the shape of the dorsal fin, the grey saddle patch behind it, and the eye patch. Humpback whales are identified by the underside of their flukes. Even harbour porpoise can sometimes be individually identified from distinctive markings or injuries. A good photograph doesn't just tell us a species was present. It can tell us which individual was present, how many times it has been seen, and where else it has been recorded.

Photo identification also allows us to collaborate with researchers and catalogues across the UK and beyond. An animal photographed in Orkney today might already appear in a catalogue from the Hebrides, Norway or Iceland. That kind of connection, between a local sighting and a wider dataset, is only possible because someone pointed a camera at the right moment.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚
A phone photo is better than no photo. Even a slightly blurry or distant image can confirm a species or reveal a marking that makes identification possible. If you see a cetacean, point and shoot first and worry about the quality afterwards. Dorsal fins, body markings, tail flukes, the shape of the head, any unusual colouring or scarring, all of these are worth trying to capture. Video is also incredibly useful, particularly for capturing behaviour, surfacing sequences and markings that a single frame might miss. If in doubt, hit record.

𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐬
Keep shooting. Burst mode is your friend. Cetaceans surface briefly and unpredictably, and the more frames you have, the better your chances of a usable image. A fast shutter speed will help freeze the action and reduce blur. We will be honest with you though: our archive also contains a magnificent collection of high quality images of splashes, rings of disturbed water, and patches of sea where something was approximately thirty seconds ago 🫣.

For killer whales, the dorsal fin and the grey saddle patch immediately behind it are the primary identification features, as well as the eye patch.

For Risso's dolphins, the scarring is everything. Each animal accumulates a unique pattern of pale scratches and marks over its lifetime, primarily from encounters with other Risso's and from the suckers of squid. A clear photograph of the body, particularly the area around the dorsal fin, can allow individual identification and potentially link your sighting to animals recorded elsewhere in UK or European waters. If you see a Risso's dolphin, photograph as much of the body as you can, not just the fin.

For all species, try to get the whole dorsal fin in shot if you can, as this is often the most diagnostic feature.

Whatever you capture, please send it to us. Every image goes into our records and the best ones are submitted to wider identification catalogues where they can contribute to a picture that extends far beyond Orkney.

Happy National Camera Day. Now go and point your camera at the sea.

📲 Telegram Sightings Group: https://t.me/+2cKGO91r68EyMzk8
📧 [email protected]
🌊 https://ommri.org/report-a-sighting/

26/06/2026

🦭 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐀: 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐘'𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐎𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

The University of St Andrews' Sea Mammal Research Unit and NatureScot has just released results from the sixth Scottish census of seal abundance, based on August haulout counts from 2021 to 2025. That completes a 30-year time-series, and Orkney features prominently and worryingly in both species covered.

For harbour seals, the long-running decline here has continued, with abundance now around 90% lower than in the late 1990s. Nationally, the picture is also stark: the Scottish harbour seal population declined by around 25% between the last two censuses and now sits at its lowest point in the entire 30-year series, a loss of roughly 10,000 animals in five years. Researchers say this level of decline points to a loss of adult animals rather than reduced births, which is unusual and concerning in itself.

Grey seals show a different pattern. National pup numbers have levelled off at around 55,000, but the most recent August census recorded an overall decline of more than a third compared to the 2016 to 2019 period. That national figure was largely driven by a very low count here in Orkney, where numbers were around 60% lower than the previous census.

The causes are still being investigated and likely involve a combination of factors, including disease, environmental change, prey availability, and competition between the two seal species.

OMMRI's most visible work and primary focus is cetaceans, but we keep an eye on seals too and do some work behind the scenes on that front. Numbers like these are part of the reason why, and we're hoping to be able to do more on seals in the coming months. This is a sobering picture for Orkney's and the wider Scottish marine environment as a whole. As SMRU Director Dr Carol Sparling put it, Scotland holds internationally important seal populations, and declines on these scales raise serious questions about the wider condition of our marine environment.

Full release here: https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/new-data-shows-drop-in-scotlands-harbour-seal-numbers-and-sparks-concern-for-grey-seal-population/

New data shows drop in Scotland’s harbour seal numbers and sparks concern for grey seal population Thursday 25 June 2026 New research from the University of St Andrews has shown that there is a marked drop in the status of Scotland’s harbour seal population, as well in summer grey seal abundance...

25/06/2026

⚓🚢 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐑

Today is Day of the Seafarer, and we want to mark it in the way that feels most natural to us: by saying thank you to the people on the water.

In Orkney, seafarers are some of our most valuable eyes on the sea. Ferry crews, fishers, workboat operators, and anyone else who makes their living on these waters spend more time looking at the sea than most of us ever will. And time and again, it is those people who spot something first.

If you work on the sea around Orkney and you see cetaceans in the course of your work, please consider reporting to us. It doesn't need to be a rare species or a dramatic sighting. A harbour porpoise off the pier head, a minke whale on the crossing, a group of dolphins off a headland you pass every day. All of it matters. All of it builds the picture.

We also know that identification isn't always straightforward, especially at distance or in a brief surface. If you or your crew would find it useful, we are happy to provide species identification support and guidance to help you record sightings with confidence. Get in touch and we can discuss what would work best for you.

And if you are willing to go a step further, we would love to hear from anyone who might be able to offer passage to allow our volunteers to carry out dedicated surveys in Orkney waters. We have worked with local vessel operators in the past and know from experience what a difference access to the water makes to the quality and coverage of our data. If you think there might be an opportunity to work together, please get in touch.

To everyone who works Orkney's waters: thank you. You are doing more for marine science than you probably realise.

📲 Telegram Sightings Group: https://t.me/+2cKGO91r68EyMzk8
📧 [email protected]
🌊 https://ommri.org/report-a-sighting/

23/06/2026

🐬 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄: 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐄

The harbour porpoise (𝑃ℎ𝑜𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑛𝑎 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑛𝑎) is the smallest cetacean found in UK waters and, in Orkney, one of the most frequently recorded. Small, unassuming and easy to overlook, harbour porpoises are nonetheless a constant and ecologically important presence in our seas.

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Harbour porpoises are compact and stocky, reaching around 1.4 to 1.9 metres in length. They are dark grey to brown on the back, fading to a paler underside, with no distinct beak. The dorsal fin is small, triangular and sits roughly in the middle of the back. At the surface they show very briefly, with a characteristic low, rolling motion, and the fin can be easy to miss in anything other than calm conditions. They produce no visible blow. Compared to dolphins, harbour porpoises are quieter and less demonstrative at the surface, rarely leaping or bow-riding vessels.

𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
Harbour porpoises are generalist feeders, taking a wide variety of small fish including herring, sprat, sandeels and whiting, as well as squid and crustaceans. Unlike larger cetaceans they have relatively small energy reserves and need to feed frequently, meaning they are rarely far from productive fishing grounds. Tidal races and areas of upwelling that concentrate prey are particularly important foraging habitats, which goes some way to explaining why Orkney's fast-flowing, food-rich waters are so well suited to them.

𝐈𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐲
Harbour porpoises are present in Orkney waters year-round and are recorded from across the archipelago. They are one of the few cetacean species for which Orkney genuinely appears to be an important habitat rather than simply a seasonal feeding ground, and they are the focus of OMMRI's dedicated research programme at Longhope Bay, where we have been documenting a regular aggregation of animals over multiple years.

Large aggregations of harbour porpoises are unusual for the species elsewhere in the UK, making Orkney's waters particularly significant. Understanding why animals gather here, what they are doing, and whether the same individuals return year after year are questions we are actively working to answer.

Harbour porpoises can be seen from almost any coastal vantage point in Orkney, but tidal races and headlands with strong tidal flow tend to be most productive. Patience and calm conditions are key. If in doubt about what you have seen, report it anyway.

If you see harbour porpoises, please report to us, including location, number of animals, and any behavioural observations. Photos are always useful.

📲 Telegram Sightings Group: https://t.me/+2cKGO91r68EyMzk8
📧 [email protected]
🌊 https://ommri.org/report-a-sighting/

20/06/2026

🔬 𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘

Earlier this year, OMMRI presented a research poster at the European Cetacean Society conference in Dundee — and we wanted to share it with you.

The poster, titled 𝘎𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘪𝘥𝘦: 𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 (𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘴) 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘓𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, documents two long-finned pilot whale mass stranding events on Sanday in consecutive years: 77 animals at Tresness in July 2024, and 23 animals at The Riv in August 2025. The two events could not have been more different in how they had to be managed, and that contrast is at the heart of what the research is about.

The Tresness event was Scotland's largest recorded cetacean mass stranding in nearly a century. Multi-agency consultation involving strandings experts, Orkney Islands Council, SEPA, NatureScot, and local landowners resulted in carcass burial on suitable farmland over two days. It was an enormous logistical undertaking — and it immediately raised a question: what happens when that simply is not possible?

The answer arrived a year later. Twenty-three carcasses at The Riv on Sanday's north coast, on a shallow reef site completely inaccessible to vehicles and vessels. Mechanical removal, burial, and transportation were physically impossible. The decision to leave the carcasses in situ was pragmatic, but it became the foundation for an opportunistic monitoring programme that yielded genuinely valuable data on decomposition rates, tidal dynamics, and carcass dispersal across the wider Orkney and Fair Isle region.

Mass strandings are devastating events, but ecologically they represent something significant. Twenty-three pilot whale carcasses delivered an exceptional influx of marine-derived nutrients into the intertidal and nearshore ecosystem, driving scavenging activity, supporting invertebrate communities, and fuelling microbial processes consistent with natural whale-fall dynamics. Tidal redistribution extended this benefit into the wider marine environment, returning nutrients to the system from which they came.

The conclusion is straightforward: where site conditions permit, in-situ natural decomposition is a legitimate, cost-effective, and ecologically sound management option. For remote island communities where landfill is unavailable, burial options are constrained, and mechanical intervention is impossible, it may be the only viable one. In-situ management does not mean passive abandonment — systematic monitoring and a contingency disposal plan are essential. But the data gathered at The Riv demonstrates that an unmanageable situation can be transformed into a valuable scientific opportunity.

It is also worth noting that this monitoring programme would not have been possible without the Sanday community. Several carcass relocations would simply not have been recorded without reports from local residents. Citizen science, as ever, filling gaps that no formal programme could cover alone.

18/06/2026

🐋 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄: 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐄

The common minke whale (𝐵𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑎) is the smallest of the baleen whales found in the North Atlantic and the most frequently reported baleen whale in Orkney waters. Relatively small they may be, but a minke whale surfacing close to a boat or headland is a genuinely thrilling sight.

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
Minke whales are sleek and streamlined, reaching up to around 9 to 10 metres in length. They are dark grey to black on the back with a pale underside, and the key identification feature is a distinctive white band across each pectoral fin, sometimes called the flipper blaze. The head is sharply pointed and V-shaped when seen from above, and the small, curved dorsal fin appears well back along the body, typically visible at the same time as the animal surfaces. The blow is low and diffuse and often hard to see, particularly in any kind of swell. Minke whales rarely show their flukes when diving.

𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
Minke whales are baleen whales, filtering prey through plates of baleen rather than teeth. In Orkney waters they feed primarily on small schooling fish, particularly herring, sandeels and sprat, as well as krill. They are lunge feeders, accelerating into aggregations of prey and engulfing large volumes of water which is then forced through the baleen plates, trapping the food inside.

Minke whales are occasionally seen in association with feeding seabirds, which are worth watching closely if you spot them working actively in one area. Where seabirds are feeding at the surface, there is often something larger below.

𝐈𝐧 𝐎𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐲
Minke whales are typically present in Orkney waters from around mid-March through to October, with numbers building through spring and peaking in late summer when herring spawning brings animals inshore. They can be seen from almost any headland in the right conditions, but the Pentland Firth, Hoy Sound, the waters off the west Mainland and Westray, and the east Mainland coast looking out towards Copinsay from Deerness are among the most productive areas. They are often described as elusive and can be tricky to follow at the surface, but patient watching from a good vantage point is frequently rewarded.

If you see a minke whale, please report it to us, including location, number of animals, and direction of travel. Photos are always helpful.

📲 Telegram Sightings Group: https://t.me/+2cKGO91r68EyMzk8
📧 [email protected]
🌊 https://ommri.org/report-a-sighting/

16/06/2026

Monday was a good one. Dolphins off Skaill Beach, dolphins breaching in Scapa Flow, harbour porpoises off Shapinsay, Risso's heading north past Yesnaby, bottlenose dolphins and more Risso's across the Pentland Firth, and a possible killer whale sighting past Brough Head, Birsay. Most of these sightings landed in our Sightings Telegram group in real time as people spotted and reported throughout the day.

Which brings us to the question: are you in the group yet?

If not, you missed quite an afternoon. The Telegram Sightings Group is where reports come in as they happen, from right across our recording area which is bigger than you might think. We collect sightings from Duncansby Head in the south to Strathy Point on the north Sutherland coast, and out to the 12 mile limit of Orkney's waters, taking in Sule Skerry and Sule Stack. If you can see the sea, there's a decent chance it's within our patch.

Come and join us. It's free, it's busy on days like yesterday, and your sightings genuinely make a difference to what we know about these animals.

📲 https://t.me/+2cKGO91r68EyMzk8
📧 [email protected]
🌊 https://ommri.org/report-a-sighting/