University of Cumbria-led acoustic research to tune into Shetland’s rich underwater soundscape

New community-driven research, led by the University of Cumbria, will create an underwater sound monitoring programme over the next 12 months to better understand and protect Shetland’s coastal waters.  

Partnering with locals, groups and businesses on the islands, the Shetland Community Acoustic Research Forum (SCARF) will use small underwater acoustic recorders deployed on salmon cages, mussel farms and fishing creels to collect information on Shetland’s rich wildlife and ecology under the sea’s surface. 

This work is funded by the Ecological Citizen(s) Network+. SCARF is one of the 15 initiatives supported by the second round of grants awarded by the ECN+, with the project receiving £47,976. 

ECN+ is funded with £3.4m from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI). Launched in 2023, the ECN+ at the Royal College of Art is a research project empowering communities to use digital tools and fostering collaboration across the arts, social sciences and natural sciences for sustainable change.  

Mobilising diverse groups of people, ECN+ seeks to make impactful change through accessible technology and community-focused approaches – including citizen science, activism, collective learning, advocacy, design strategies, creative arts, manufacturing, environmental science and engineering practices.  

Examples include engagement events over the winter in schools for young people and students on Yell and the Shetland mainland as well as public workshops for members of the community. 

SCARF’s partnership with locals will complement ongoing marine conservation and management initiatives in Shetland such as Blue Connect by helping to understand seasonal variation in environmental sound like wind, wave and rain noise; occurrence of sound-producing animals such as killer whales and harbour porpoise; and how human activities such as shipping and other industrial activity feature in the underwater soundscape. 

SCARF will: 

• Actively involve marine industry workers in the collection of acoustic datasets and citizen scientists in their analysis.  

• Carry out interviews with those working in coastal waters that will contribute valuable local knowledge about human relationships with marine ecosystems and perceptions of environmental change. 

• Use music to interpret underwater sound and create curiosity about marine soundscape ecology and engage the community with marine conservation. 

By combining scientific data, local knowledge and artistic interpretation, SCARF will support decision-making related to coastal conservation and promote Ecological Citizenship and engagement with marine ecosystems among Shetland’s communities. 

A world authority on killer whales, Professor Volker Deecke is a professor of wildlife conservation within the Institute of Science and Environment at the University of Cumbria. 

Leading the 12-month SCARF ECN+ funded scheme, Professor Deecke is working with colleagues from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, University of St. Andrews, UHI Shetland – a partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands, and University of Aberdeen.  

Other partners involved in the SCARF project are NatureScot, Seafood Shetland, Shetland Community Wildlife Group, Shetland Cetacean Group, and island-based sound artist and musician Dr Jenny Sturgeon who will compose a piece from the underwater recordings collected. 

SCARF’s Principal Investigator Professor Deecke said: “Shetland is as beautiful and wild below the sea’s surface as it is above the waves. SCARF provides a valuable opportunity for artists, researchers, marine workers and members of the wider community to come together to co-create knowledge about Shetland’s underwater world through the medium of sound.” 

Marine Spatial Planning Manager Professor Rachel Shucksmith, from UHI Shetland, is a co-investigator on the project. 

She said: “The SCARF project provides an opportunity to deepen our understanding of Shetland’s marine mammals and underwater soundscapes by working with the seafood sector to collect data on Shetland’s important marine environment. This work will link to other community initiatives led by the University of the Highlands and Islands, including the Blue Connect project and Shetland Community Wildlife group.” 

Ruth Henderson, chief executive of Seafood Shetland, said: “Depending on, and caring for, Shetland's coastal areas, the members of Seafood Shetland hold much valuable knowledge in respect of this environment. We believe that the association with SCARF can provide valuable opportunities to share this knowledge, as well as working closely alongside scientists and members of the wider Shetland community to support this endeavour.” 

Preparatory work for the project in Shetland has already provided opportunities for University of Cumbria students. 

Ahead of the ECN+ grant award and start of the SCARF initiative, Lucy Hall, a student on Cumbria’s BSc (Hons) Animal Conservation Science programme, and Melissa McKenzie, who is studying Marine and Freshwater Conservation, joined the project team for a community workshop in Shetland. Their involvement was funded by the university’s Participatory Research Fund. 

ENDS