Whether it's an attack by another marine creature, or disorientation in a noisy ocean, there are various reasons for marine mammals to wash up on the shoreline. So how do we find out the cause of each stranding? The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) undertakes forensic investigations into strandings around the Scottish coast. Its work complements marine mammal research at institutes like SAMS and helps to piece together what's happening in the unseen underwater world. In this...

A superfood, a sustainable source of fuel and an overall environmentally-friendly industry; there's plenty to like about seaweed farming! But following some recent unsuccessful planning applications in the UK, it seems that 'green' credentials alone may not be enough to ensure industry growth. As seaweed farmers grapple with issues of scaling up and cost in the UK and Europe, will the industry ever realise its full potential? And what else should be done to win public approval? In this...

Can whales be famous? Are they becoming more of less common in our coastal waters? How are they affected by climate change and pollution? Despite being among the largest creatures on the planet, whales can be difficult to monitor, given the distances they travel and the time they spend below the sea surface. In this episode, we welcome Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust Director Alison Lomax to talk about the organisation's crucial survey work in Scotland's west coast waters and how this...

Marine heatwaves are becoming more common and more intense. They can have devastating effects on ocean life, particularly corals and other species that are fixed in one location. This year, large parts of the ocean have been at a state of near permanent heatwave, with one particular heatwave off northern UK, lasting 237 days, from August 2022 to April 2023.  To learn more, we speak to Prof Mike Burrows, part of the research team that defined the term 'marine heatwave', and oceanographer Dr...

A typical image of a whale is a majestic creature cruising through the deep and vast ocean. But our coastal seas contain unseen hazards, including creel lines, in which they can become entangled.  Continuing our #WhaleTalk series, we meet Susannah Calderan and Dr Steven Benjamins to discuss the extent of the whale entanglement problem and reveal how a collaboration between researchers and fishermen may have come up with the solution. The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish...

Introducing the new Ocean Explorer podcast from the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research institute and partner of UHI based in Oban.  In this episode, part of our #WhaleTalk campaign, host Euan Paterson speaks to marine mammal experts Dr Denise Risch and Dr Nienke van Geel to find out how they listen to whales and dolphins, what they can learn from the sounds, and how the arts can help to communicate their science. We also find out what inspired them to begin a...