Fair Isle recognised for flapper skate population
International scientists have recognised Fair Isle as a "hotspot" for critically endangered flapper skates.
It joins a patch of Swarbacks Minn as the first of two "Important Shark and Ray Areas" (ISRAs) around the isles — proposed by researchers from the University of the Highlands and Islands' Shetland campus and, now, accepted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The designations — for flapper skates around Fair Isle and thornback rays near Swarbacks Minn — come with no protective restrictions, nor do they imply there should be more in the future said UHI Shetland's lead fisheries scientist Shaun Fraser.
"Nonetheless, this identification as ISRAs highlights the value of the data collected by UHI Shetland during our annual survey efforts and provides further evidence of the importance of our nearshore areas as vital habitats for threatened and valuable marine species," Dr Fraser added.
"This recognition will help to put these areas into an international context and underscores the need for further research on important Shetland nearshore habitats that support the wider ecosystem.”
In the past decade, two Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been designated specifically for flapper skates in Scotland. In part of both Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura and Red Rocks and Longay, fishing with certain equipment is banned to protect the species.
UHI Shetland researchers supported their ISRA applications for Fair Isle and Swarbacks Minn with trawl surveys, tag tracking and underwater video footage — including one shot showing nine flapper skates swimming together at once.
• Read the full story in this week's issue of The Shetland Times, out Thursday 7 August.