Orkney's network of over 70 islands and skerries provide the perfect refuge for flapper skate – the largest known skate in the world - where the pristine marine environment gives optimum conditions for their survival. Flapper skate belong to the elasmobranch or shark family and can reach up to 2.5m when fully grown, with the largest caught in Orkney waters estimated to weigh over 100kg. They are considered a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to population decline as a result of human activity.
Founded in 2010, the Orkney Skate Trust (OST) is a volunteer-led organisation set up to specifically monitor and record the number of skate around the Orkney isles, and has been working to study the species to understand their biology and habitat in and around Orkney and the North of Scotland with an overall aim of trying to reverse their decline. OST use a range of survey techniques from baited camera traps to underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to identify and monitor the Orkney skate population.
As a steppingstone to delivering habitat restoration in the marine environment, SSEN Transmission reached out to the Orkney Skate Trust to help support their 2022 survey works, after learning of their leading research work through Seasearch Scotland, a volunteer-led marine data organisation.
SSEN Transmission is committed to improving biodiversity in all areas in which it operates, including in the subsea environment, and the partnership with Orkney Skate Trust will help to understand more about the marine habitats that support these giant species of skate.
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As world leaders and industry players meet to discuss biodiversity and the climate emergency at a global stage at COP27 in Sharm El Sheik in Egypt, partnerships with grassroots organisations like the Orkney Skate Trust are what will help improve biodiversity in local areas.
SSEN Transmission is working with Orkney Skate Trust by sharing their unique marine data sets, which included 3D bathymetric and side-scan sonar data of the seabed collected as part of the route section for the proposed Orkney transmission connection. The Orkney Skate Trust study and interpret the data to identify potential habitats that may be suitable for flapper skate, and where they may lay their eggs. OST then use a team of divers, subsea monitoring equipment and baited-camera traps to collect evidenced based data to assist with conservation-based decisions.
The monitoring and work of Orkney Skate Trust is shared with Seasearch to help provide a better understanding of the wider marine environment, helping to further knowledge with other marine species and habitats in Orkney.
Peter Watson, Lead Marine Consents Manager for SSEN Transmission, said: "As a responsible developer, we are committed to improving biodiversity across all areas we operate, not just on land but in the marine environment too, and as we deliver our network for net zero across Scotland this extends into subsea areas also. Therefore, the information gathered from our partnership with the Orkney Skate Trust will give us a much deeper understanding of the marine environment and the ways in which we can help preserve and enhance the unique wildlife that exists there.
"With global leaders meeting to discuss the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and what action can be taken to halt biodiversity loss, partnerships such as this are a start in helping to deliver on this action - by researching, studying and sharing the results of these unique habitats with other marine stakeholders, we're working to collaborate and play our part to preserve and enhance these unique areas and incredible species, right here in our waters.
"This partnership will truly help us understand how we can further work to improve biodiversity in the areas we operate, and we look forward to continuing to work with Orkney Skate Trust which has already shared so much understanding regarding the critically endangered flapper skate population in Orkney."
Daniel Wise, Chairman of the Orkney Skate Trust, said: "Orkney Skate Trust exists to share knowledge of endangered species of skates we are so fortunate to have roaming our Scottish seas, with the aim of aiding their conservation. We work with like-minded organisations and regulators to provide evidenced based data of this once wide-ranging NE Atlantic skate, now confined to pockets around the Northern Irish & Scottish coast.
"Our network of citizen scientists uses a range of tools to raise the profile of this enigmatic skate, specialising in innovative non-invasive camera systems that documents skate in their natural habitat.
"It is only possible to achieve our aims through support by organisations like the SSEN Transmission, giving not only the financial support required to undertake surveys but the addition of technical knowhow and invaluable geophysical data from the seabed around Orkney."
