On 11 July 2024, the largest mass stranding event in nearly 100 years occurred on the Island of Sanday, Orkney. A pod of 77 pilot whales, including juveniles and neonates ultimately died.
The initial response to this tragic event was coordinated by Emma Neave-Webb, Science & Conservation officer of the Orkney Marine Mammal Research Initiative. Together with the team of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS, University of Glasgow), researchers and volunteers from all over the UK travelled to Orkney, trying to conduct as many on-site post-mortem examinations as possible, under the guidance of experienced pathologists. A total of 36 full necropsies were conducted, as well as samples gathered from all stranded animals for further analysis. While this required dedication and determination from all attending respondents, none of this would have been possible without the immense efforts of not only the SMASS staff, but also Ms Neave-Webb, and the entire community of Sanday, who supported the efforts wherever possible.
During the stranding response, tissue and organ samples were collected from all stranded animals, to be used for various research purposes. This includes the University of Aberdeen researchers Dr Rebecca von Hellfeld, Dr Joanna Kershaw, and Christoph Gade. As part of her work on marine ecotoxicology, Dr Rebecca von Hellfeld assesses the accumulation and impact of heavy metals such as mercury on marine wildlife. Together with Christoph Gade she has worked on samples from last year's long-finned pilot whale mass stranding on the Isle of Lewis, and recently published an article about how marine mammals deal with elevated concentrations of mercury (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123027).
"Our research would not be possible without the close collaboration with SMASS and we are grateful for their trust in our work in the field and in the laboratory. The support from the islanders was amazing and we achieved so much to make sure these animals did not die in vain," said Dr Rebecca von Hellfeld upon reflection on the event.
Dr Joanna Kershaw, a lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences, investigates the ecology of marine mammals with a specific focus on physiology, health and disease. She reflected: "Although mass stranding events like these are a really sad, huge loss of life, they present a unique opportunity to study these animals to better understand their biology and ecology which will ultimately help us better protect cetacean populations."
Christoph Gade, a postgraduate environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology student with the National Decommissioning Centre (NDC), stated: "Although my time at the NDC was focussed on a different aspect of marine science, my experience with trace mercury analysis has proven to be an asset to other University researchers as well."