The ethos of the Fair Isle DR MPA is to incorporate community and wider stakeholder involvement at every level, from decision-making to citizen science projects. The vision for this project is the development and delivery of an island wide citizen science and marine monitoring programme entirely managed and coordinated by a local community group – the Fair Isle Marine Research Organisation (FIMRO), an initiative which does not currently exist in Scotland. Following implementation of the Fair Isle Demonstration and Research MPA (DR MPA), FIMRO have recognised the need and appetite for community involvement in data collection to inform the continued research and monitoring necessary to meet the objectives of the Fair Isle DR MPA. This project would offer the excellent opportunity to build the capacity of FIMRO to independently achieve these objectives through an island – wide community-led citizen science and marine monitoring programme expanding on current community participation in citizen science and engagement with the DR MPA as well as fostering further engagement with wider Shetland communities.

Harries, D.B., Purcell, A., Moore, C.G., Lyndon A.R., Porter, J.S., Saunders, G.R. and Hume, C.L. (Heriot-Watt University) Background The aim […]

Limited knowledge exists about the benthic habitats, identified as a research priority in the Fair Isle DR MPA Winter 2020/21 stakeholder consultation. This report focuses on modelling the potential benthic habitat composition within the Fair Isle DR MPA, with an emphasis on Priority Marine Features (PMFs). Utilising Distribution Models (DMs), this study aims to address this knowledge gap by analysing biotopes with environmental data, providing a baseline for future research, and marine management initiatives.