Grantee: Fair Isle Marine Research Organisation

Duration: 5 months (May to October 2026)

 

On the remote island Fair Isle, Shetland, an Education officer will train residents to carry out citizen science surveys on the surrounding marine environment.

Background

There is a growing momentum behind greater protection and restoration of Scotland’s marine environment. Monitoring the marine environment is challenging, but essential to underpinning effective environmental protection and management.

On Fair Isle, Shetland, a Demonstration & Research Marine Protected Area (DRMPA) has been designated to study the relationship between the marine environment and declines in local seabird populations. Led by the Fair Isle Marine Research Organisation (FIMRO), research results help to monitor marine biodiversity which will inform sustainable marine management measures for consideration.

The Project

Citizen science is an integral part of FIRMO’s research efforts. Despite Fair Isle’s population of just 60 people, there has been significant demand to get involved in marine research and monitoring.

This project will enable the community to participate in a range of citizen science activities such as rockpooling, MCS beach cleans, WDC Shorewatch surveys, marine invasive non-native species monitoring, and shark and ray egg case collection and identification. As well as informing the DRMPA programme, this data will also be submitted to relevant national and international databases.

Images courtesy of Fair Isle Marine Research Organisation