Hebrides Cruises were delighted to take part in a recent stakeholder meeting with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, to inform future developments of the Whale Track App. Wildlife Guides Lynsey Bland and Alexa Kershaw lent their expertise and shared their thoughts to the charity on how to move forward with the next stage of the Whale Track App.
Hebrides Cruises and Lynsey helped develop and pilot the new Whale Track App onboard our cruises four years ago. Whale Track is a first-of-its-kind smartphone app that allows anyone to submit marine mammal sightings off the west coast of Scotland. It uses the technology we all carry in our pockets to quickly and easily record sightings of marine mammals. Any member of the public can help to track the movements of coastal species like bottlenose dolphins and help unravel the mysteries of more elusive species such as killer whales.
For the past four years, Hebrides Cruises have been working alongside the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust to help protect and celebrate the amazing whales and dolphins in our waters. We do this as a Corporate Partner and by reporting our sightings through the Whale Track App onboard our cruises. Since the establishment of the App, we have reported around 500 encounters with these amazing creatures, helping to monitor the distribution and abundance of marine mammals in the Hebrides.
Hebrides Cruises will help in the testing phase of the updated Whale Track App and our guests joining us on board in the 2022 season will be contributing to the important work of long-term monitoring of cetaceans in these waters by reporting their sightings.
The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust is based in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull, leading the way for the conservation of cetaceans in the waters off the west coast of Scotland. Their research has hugely advanced the understanding of species in the seas of the Hebrides, providing essential evidence to inform protection measures for marine mammals.
Just a quick note to say how much we enjoyed the trip to St Kilda. Captain Rob and his crew were exceptional and we learnt so much about the nature on islands from Rob and Linsey. And accompanying Rob on his (maybe) 250th trip to St Kilda will be a lasting memory. Craig was the epitome of service, nothing seemed to faze him and everything was done with a smile. And the food! Sian was fantastic – Anne had been worried about the gluten free business but there was absolutely no problem and the production of a fantastic gluten free Golden Wedding cake stole the show. Thanks to you all – we will be back!
Clive Green: 29 July 2021St Kilda and the isles of the Outer Hebrides