After the excitement at the Nature of Scotland Awards, Janis and Noel went to Oban for the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust tour operators meet up at The Scottish Association for Marine Science (somewhere we all love at USS and are looking to maybe put on a wee road trip again next year....).
Noel works aboard the Shearwater Cruises, Ullapool in the sumer and records all his cetacean sightings on HWDT's app, #WhaleTrack, and has also been introducing this to the kids when we are out on Mada-Chuain seeing all our amazing marine life, as it is a great tool for recording whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and helps get a better picture of what lives here, and what we need to be protecting. Noel and the Shearwater were awarded a Gold Award as part of the new Whale Track Scheme launched this year, in recognition of the 267 excursion reports submitted, which recorded over 12,000 animals in the 2025 season. We think we'll set up an account ourselves and see if USS can get a bronze, silver or perhaps even gold award next year too! If you watch for wildlife at sea or on our beaches and coast, it's worth downloading the app and contributing too.
(PLEASE always remember to give the animals space, don't chase, and treat them with respect - as outlined in our poster!) Marine Conservation Society Foundation Scotland WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre Shetland Wildlife Cal Major - Ocean Advocate Ariane Burgess MSP - Scottish Greens Scottish Wildlife Trust
