Celebrating over 20 years of community sightings - Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust

For over 20 years, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) have been working with communities across Scotland to monitor the species in our seas.

From members of the public, to tour operators - people have been building our understanding of whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking sharks by submitting sightings and photographs through our long-standing community sightings network.

Long term monitoring of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoise) is vital in assessing biodiversity, distribution and seasonal occurrence, which is essential for effective conservation management. These creatures are long-lived and highly-mobile so require a collective effort to record.

Citizen science projects, such as HWDTs Whale Track, have made conservation accessible to everyone; making reporting sightings and photographs, as well as conducting surveys quick and easy.

With over two decades of collecting community sightings data, we reflect on the progress achieved from the early days of reporting to what is a now an 8,000 strong Whale Track network.

INNOVATION DRIVES CONSERVATION

From 2004 to 2017, HWDT collected sighting reports on paper and web-based forms, with almost 10,000 sightings reported, from an average 236 contributors per year. In July 2017, the pioneering Whale Track smartphone app and website launched, allowing anyone to record effort-based surveys, casual sightings and submit photographs with technology available in their pocket. The Whale Track app was the first of it’s kind and, from the start, adopted a collaborative approach to development, with user consultation improving user experience over the years.