Example elasmobranchs separated by species during the 2025 Fair Isle inshore fish survey. © Shaun Fraser


The 2025 survey is the fourth consecutive inshore fish survey to be completed around Fair Isle which took during August 2025. Together with a dedicated sandeel survey carried out in May 2025, it represents the most ambitious fisheries survey programme undertaken around the island to date. The survey is building an increasingly valuable long-term picture of Fair Isle’s marine ecosystem and will help strengthen the scientific evidence needed to further inform potential future management of the Fair Isle Demonstration and Research MPA.

Report highlights

10 scientific trawls were carried out aboard the 14 m MFV Kestrel as well as four Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) deployments in the waters around Fair Isle.

Record numbers of flapper skate were recorded, with 17 caught, tagged and released — the highest number recorded in the Fair Isle inshore fish survey series. Flapper skate were also frequently captured on BRUV footage, providing further evidence of the importance of Fair Isle waters for this threatened species.

Spurdog dominated the catch by weight, with 801 kg recorded across the survey. Spurdog catches around Fair Isle remain consistently higher than elsewhere in Shetland, although numbers vary between years.

The survey also recorded a total of 32 fish species, including scaldfish and boarfish for the first time in the Fair Isle time series.

UHI Shetland analysed 121 stomach samples from five predator species (cod, haddock, saithe, spotted ray and spurdog), identifying 36 different prey species and providing new insight into the complex food web around the island.

This report has been developed by UHI Shetland, in partnership with the Fair Isle Demonstration and Research MPA Executive Steering Group. This project was supported by players of Postcode Lottery through the National Trust for Scotland’s Love our Nature project.

The full survey report is available here