Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme

For centuries, cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) have regularly stranded around the coasts of the UK.  The underlying causes of these stranding events are not always clear and the role that human activity may play in either directly or indirectly causing single or mass strandings remains controversial.

Information generated on stranded animals can provide a picture of what species are found in UK waters and in many cases a broad assessment can be made on likely cause of death.

Strandings that undergo post-mortem examination can also provide unique insight into causes of death, diseases, environmental contaminant levels, reproductive patterns, diet and other aspects of the general health of cetacean populations in the seas around our coasts that are largely unavailable by other methods. This provides important baseline data to help detect any future outbreaks of disease, unusual mortality events or responses to environmental change (e.g. climate change).