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00:04hidden beneath these waters is an animal that's been around since the time of the dinosaurs one
00:10that was almost lost from our seas I'm here in the west coast of Scotland joining in the
00:17fight in saving one of our rarest marine animals the flapper skate
00:55I'm sailing out of Oban on the west coast of Scotland
00:58across the water from the Isle of Mo I'm heading into a marine protected area created to protect
01:06this critically endangered creature of the deep last time I was here I was in search of the
01:14flapper skate egg which is hidden deep on the seabed fantastic look at that now that I'm back
01:24I'm ready to come face to face with the real thing you are joking me Lee what were you expecting
01:34I was
01:35not expecting this it's one of the world's largest skate species this fish is massive and I am determined
01:43to do my bit to help their survival 50 58 look at that big fish go this is absolutely incredible
01:52we'll
01:53also be diving deep into the country file archives happy yeah it's all tea to celebrate the wonders of
02:01the marine world around the UK they're far more complex animals than we give them credit for exploring
02:08the teeming shallows of the Devon coast it amazes people what's here on their doorstep to the
02:15unexpected encounters beneath the waves of the North Sea I was saying to local people there's whales here
02:21and their response was you're joking whales in Yorkshire why am I doing this I keep asking myself this
02:30question and getting a bird's-eye view of one of the UK's most territorial seabirds all right here we go
02:38there's no turning back
02:52good morning
02:54good morning permission to come aboard yeah flapper skates belong to the shark family and have a stronghold in the
03:01northern North Sea particularly along Scotland's west coast
03:06today I'm setting sail from Dunstaffnitch marina with the team from nature scott Scotland's conservation agency and a group of
03:15recreational anglers turned citizen scientists or as I'd like to call them data anglers
03:25they catch the adult skates to collect valuable information on the population before safely releasing them back into the waters
03:33of the marine protected area
03:37first we need to catch some bait to lower them in and on the menu today it's mackerel
03:44we're using one fish per hook today we'll be using three fish per hook the more you've got down there
03:51the more scent go through the water and they'll actually come to us
03:55well then the other way around so
03:59it's going to take a lot of mackerel to tempt the skates up from the deep
04:03they live right down on the seabed
04:06more than 100 metres below the surface
04:09now I'm looking at this hook
04:12yeah and there's no barb on it
04:14there used to be a barb there
04:16yeah we grind them off or flatten them down
04:19it doesn't damage the skates mouth
04:21it does have the disadvantage as well if you're not playing the fish right
04:25if you get a bit of slack it can easily slip the hook
04:28but it's a risk worth taking
04:32Kevin McKay has been catching and releasing flapper skates for more than 30 years
04:38why do you love catching them?
04:40the skates are just like dinosaurs you know
04:43they're so graceful and it's just a good buzz catching something that big from that deep
04:47being able to put them back unharmed
04:49and live to fight another day
04:51why would you harm a majestic creature like a skate that's been down there for so many years?
04:57yeah they're just beautiful when you see them under water
05:00this is not going to be easy
05:03female flapper skates can weigh over 200 pounds
05:07that's more than 14 stone
05:10which means the anglers could be hauling more than their own body weight onto the deck
05:15we get a sticker on a lot of the boats for if you catch one over 200 pounds
05:21how many of those have you caught in your lifetime?
05:23200 pounds thicker?
05:24yeah
05:25unfortunately I hit the crossbar so many times at 197
05:30ohhhh
05:30so close
05:32maybe today
05:33fingers crossed
05:34I'll get one of those stickers
05:35yeah
05:35stick over my box
05:36let's hope
05:40there'll be no 200 pound skate or any skate at all without more bait
05:47time to go fishing
05:50so the trick with mackerel is let the weight hit the floor
05:54and then slowly start coming up
05:57you need those feathers to jiggle just like the smaller fish
06:03luckily the boys last night knew I was coming
06:06and they already did a little bit of fishing for mackerel
06:10but we clearly need a little bit more and everyone's got a rod overboard at the moment
06:17I don't want to try to cast over there as well
06:19I don't want to try to cast over there as well
06:51they've been put to shame by all the anglers but I have confidence
07:01they've tangled themselves
07:02retangled me
07:03there's been a sabotage going on
07:05you guys keep tangling yourselves
07:07it gives me a chance over here
07:18ahhhhh
07:19what are you doing catching my lime for?
07:22at least I got something
07:23it's sabotage
07:24I thought we were all friends here
07:26turns out they're all sabotaging me
07:37it's good fun isn't it?
07:39this is great fun
07:45I think I'm on, I'm on, I'm on, I'm on
07:48now we're talking
07:50come to papa
07:54come on
07:55that's how it's done
07:56come on
07:59job done
08:06skipper's just told us to reel in our lines
08:08because we might just have enough mackerel
08:11to go fishing for the flat escape
08:14here we go
08:16can't wait, this is going to be exciting
08:25using fishing boats for science isn't just reserved for these waters
08:29a couple of years ago
08:31Joe also met a skipper who'd swapped the catch for conservation on the coast of North Yorkshire
08:42Stathes
08:43Stathes has been a draw for many a visitor over the years with its character and picturesque charm
08:49but increasingly offshore there's something in the water attracting a whole new crowd
08:56I'm joining skipper Sean Baxter and ecologist Richard Baines to set sail in search of natural wonders
09:04and to learn about a returning ocean giant which is hooking in wildlife tourists by the boatload
09:12Sean, how long have you been sailing out of this harbour?
09:16on and off since I was 14 really, commercial fishing when I was 16
09:21so what sort of vessel would it have been?
09:22it was a cobble
09:24an open cobble
09:25and that's all behind you now is it?
09:26yes, on that commercial side of it
09:29I mean, we heard this great word diversify
09:3160% is still angling charter
09:34but we're trying to branch out onto the wildlife more and more
09:37and we're building our own little business round Richard's chartering of the boat
09:42and the wildlife is just amazing
09:44the dolphins are coming up and down quite regularly now
09:51it's been 30 years since Sean swapped his nets for tourists
09:55and today, alongside Richard, their wildlife trips are enticing clients
10:00with the hope of encountering elusive creatures from the deep
10:04minke whales
10:08I remember not that long ago saying to local people
10:11there's whales here
10:12and their response was
10:13you're joking? whales in Yorkshire?
10:16something happened in the early 2000s
10:19we started seeing the odd whale
10:20and then it's just increased since then
10:22but it's a new phenomenon
10:23really in our lifetime
10:27Measuring up to 9 metres in length
10:29minke whales are the breed most commonly seen off stathes each summer
10:33where they feed on fish such as herring, mackerel and cod
10:39I mean, that is an amazing story
10:42because when I grew up birdwatching on this coastline
10:44I never ever heard anybody use the W word, whale
10:48Right
10:49we saw porpoises all the time
10:52so porpoises have been the common cetacean
10:55and the only cetacean on this coastline is when I was growing up
11:00whales along with dolphins and porpoises belong to the order of marine mammals known as cetaceans
11:07all of which are being seen more frequently here
11:11some people are coming here for the first time seeing minkies and they all think they've been here all the
11:15time
11:16that's not the case
11:18for thousands of years minkies as well as humpbacks and sperm whales called our seas home
11:25populations were decimated by the commercial whaling industry
11:28with some species almost disappearing altogether
11:31from the seas and from living memory
11:36so they're returning to these areas now because there's still enough food for minky whales and cetaceans
11:41and that food's the herring?
11:42the herring, yeah
11:43so the herring increased in late summer and autumn
11:46and that's when all the minky whales come into the North Sea
11:49and they're doing this big arc around the North Sea and then back out again
11:53into the North Atlantic for the winter
11:58because they were missing for so long, much is still unknown about whales in the North Sea
12:03back on land, Bex Lynham from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust heads up the work to collect new data
12:10we really understand relatively little
12:13it's important that we establish a long-term data set
12:17so I'm going to spend around an hour here watching the sea and seeing what we can see today
12:23so Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has teamed up with SeaWatch Foundation to train up volunteers
12:28people just like URI that want to help wildlife
12:32so when our sea watchers are on the coast we ask them to watch from somewhere where they get a
12:38little bit of elevation
12:39really good vantage point for spotting any whales, dolphins or porpoises
12:43by teaming up with Richard and Sean, Bex is able to place one of her volunteers on every trip that
12:49sails from Stathes
12:50putting the eco into eco-tourism
12:55often you just see this glimpse of a dorsal fin as it arches over, rolls over on the surface of
13:02the water
13:03hugely majestic sight, you never forget the first time that you see a minke whale in our waters
13:08you know that there's an absolutely huge animal under there as well
13:11because what you're seeing is the very tiny part of their back
13:14we know that our wildlife is struggling so it's absolutely key that we do as much as we possibly can
13:21to ensure that they're around in the long term
13:24so as long as we're collecting this data we have a better picture of what's happening
13:29and that gives us the tools that we need to protect them well into the future
13:33last September an amazing 81 minke sightings were logged on a single day
13:39at this time of year we're unlikely to catch a glimpse but fortunately there are many other wildlife spectacles to
13:46enjoy
13:47loads more curlew coming, look this is amazing
13:49okay, come on then
13:50this is really cool
13:51these are all curlew?
13:53I've never seen as many curlew on a trip like this before, that's awesome
13:57so there's been about a hundred curlew come down so far this morning
14:00and they're moving down from the Tees Estuary
14:02probably down to the Humber Estuary
14:04oh look, even more, a lot closer
14:06look at this, it's absolutely incredible
14:07this is really, really unusual
14:11just low over the sea, red-throated diver
14:16that's a shag
14:18in the spring we'll have guillemots back
14:22razorbills back, puffins, Atlantic puffins returning
14:25the gannets returning to our big seabird colony
14:29how popular are they?
14:31are people open to these wildlife tours?
14:32yeah, well when we first started them
14:34we were taking two or three people out
14:37but now our trips sell out every year
14:39and they're bringing a lot of joy to people's lives
14:42and they help businesses such as Sean's and my business
14:45the wonderful thing is you never know what you're going to see
14:50I bet Richard never thought he'd see a humpback whale
14:53let alone two
14:56but in 2024 that's exactly what happened
14:59it seems the waters of the coast of Stathes continues to amaze and surprise
15:13back off the coast of Oban, the bait fishing is done
15:17now the challenge is on
15:19to see if we can do our bit to protect the rare flapper skate
15:24Dr Jane Dodd and Nature Scott have been working with local anglers on this project
15:30for more than 15 years
15:36when the skate comes up onto the deck
15:38what are we expecting?
15:41so Kyle will bring the skate onto the dive lift and lift it up
15:44and then he'll scan it
15:45so that's our scanner
15:46if they don't have a tag in them then Kyle will tag it
15:50so the tag's like the tag that your vet puts in your dog or your cat
15:53so it's for identification
15:54and that's just like a big needle
15:57yeah so it's pre-loaded
15:58and the tag sits inside
16:00so the tag will be about a millimetre or two long
16:03it is tiny
16:04okay
16:06and then we'll be able to take a photograph of the skate
16:09so we take a photograph of the dorsal side and the whole fish
16:12and then we upload that onto the SkateSpotter database
16:15so SkateSpotter is a photo database
16:18you can identify the skate by their spot pattern
16:21so it's like a finger print
16:22it's unique to the animal
16:25the SkateSpotter database was started around 7 years ago
16:29it now holds more than 2,500 individual photos
16:33that have been submitted by anglers from Shetland to Northern Ireland
16:39the latest iteration of SkateSpotter is an app for your mobile phone
16:44so the anglers can take a picture of the skate
16:47and upload it directly from their mobile now
16:50NatureScot collaborated with the Scottish Association for Marine Science
16:55to develop this app
16:56it uses facial recognition tech
16:58to identify each skate by their unique markings
17:04so the photo gets uploaded with the data of whether it's male or female
17:07and the size of it and where it was captured
17:09and if it's a new skate
17:11then the AI works away on it
17:13and presents me with the top 100 matches in the database
17:18so we have a look at those and we see if it's a match
17:21and either it goes in as a new individual
17:24or it goes in as a match to its existing
17:26the data has been crucial for understanding survival rates
17:30and where the skates are living
17:32ultimately showing the impact of the Marine Protected Area
17:36or MPA
17:38the skates are doing much better inside the MPA than they are outside
17:42so marine protected areas in Scotland were designated to protect
17:47particular habitats or species
17:50and management orders were brought in for the activities in the MPAs
17:54so things like fishing for flopperskate
17:56the anglers actually proposed this MPA in the first place
18:00they used external tags on the skate with just a number on since the 1970s
18:04and that was the data that they used to propose this site as an MPA
18:08and they continue to help us monitor it as time goes on
18:11which is a fantastic conservation story I think
18:17Between them, the team on board have 67 years of experience
18:21of safely catching and releasing flopperskates
18:25in fact, it was Ronnie Campbell that helped start the flopperskate database
18:31with a whopping 400 photos that he'd collected
18:35When I started angling in 92, my first thoughts were I didn't want dead fish on the boat
18:41I don't mind people taking the odd one back for eating
18:43but you saw the angling magazines, decks covered in dead fish
18:46and they weren't going to get eaten
18:47so I was wanting to catch and release from the very day one
18:51And you were one of the first people to have that thought here in the West Coast
18:55Could be in Britain
18:57Years ago, it was all catch and kill
18:59There was numerous photographs of just hanging on the pier
19:02or lying just caught and they decided that wasn't happening
19:05if we were getting skated, they were going back alive
19:07And then you started allowing Nature Scot to come on board
19:11and help you with the tagging process
19:13What did it mean to you when the fishing order came in
19:16and the protection for these awesome fish?
19:18Well, I was up for it, you know, obviously dead keen on it
19:21The population of skate has dramatically increased
19:25so it has worked
19:27I was just helping and that's a bit, you know
19:31Yeah, chuffed to bits
19:34I can't wait to see one
19:36And luckily, I'm used to waiting around for wildlife
19:41How deep is that going to go down now?
19:43Well, this particular area, it's 400 foot deep
19:45So it's going to take a little while to get to the bottom
19:48Lee Taylor runs an angling business out of Oban
19:51and fishes these waters every day
19:55A lot of people say they kind of look prehistoric
19:58First one I ever caught, I was stood there and it was like
20:02It was literally like that
20:03When you've never caught when I've seen one
20:05Dinosaur, how you say, prehistoric
20:07For you, what's it like when you see that fish being released back into the water?
20:11It's fantastic, I love it
20:13The power and the speed they go at is, yeah, stunning, lovely
20:16Have you caught a 200 pounder?
20:18Yes, yep
20:19You have? Nice, what was that like?
20:22It took a while to get up
20:23How long?
20:2445 minutes
20:24OK
20:26That's a long time
20:27It is, a lot of it's down to the depth
20:29OK
20:29If the tide's pulling hard as well, though, that makes it a little bit more difficult
20:32So that, you know, potentially could be over an hour
20:35But we like to get them in as quick as we can
20:36So, less stress on the fish
20:38Do you care about the fish welfare?
20:40Yeah, I've fished since I was two
20:42For me, catch and release all day long
20:51The hooks are all baited with mackerel
20:53And our expert data anglers are confident that we're going to catch a skate
20:57All we've got to do now is sit and wait
21:00And that's why they call it fishing, not catching
21:05Cup of tea?
21:07Why not?
21:08Go on then
21:13Flapper skates may lurk in the depths of these waters
21:16But not all marine magic happens hundreds of metres down
21:26Last year, on the South Devon coast, we met up with a local diver
21:31Who has spent years capturing the incredible life just beneath the waves
21:38When people hear you're into marine biology, they think, you know, you're going off to the barrier reef
21:43They don't realise what's on their doorstep
21:52For me personally, getting underwater is totally different from the world above
22:00It's beautiful, visually, the light and the colours, and it's this feeling of a slightly alien world
22:14You never quite know what you're going to see
22:16It's a teenager again when I'm snorkelling
22:20Just the wonder of seeing the animals and the life, and you never quite know what you're going to see
22:31It's coast special because of the varied habitats
22:35You've got rocky reefs, you've got seagrass beds
22:39You've got deeper reefs with corals and sea fans and those sorts of things
22:43And in shallow water, you've got amazing variety of fish
22:47All sorts of sea anemones, lots of crustaceans
22:50Just a great variety of life in quite small areas
22:57Lots of different fish caught my eye, one of which is the corkwing wrasse
23:02Corkwing wrasse, they're sort of classic fish shape, quite thin in profile
23:07And the males in the breeding season are really colourful
23:11They have quite complex lives, makes this really intricate nest
23:16They don't just sort of pick any old seaweed and ram it in a hole in the rocks
23:20They pick different types for different parts of the nest
23:23Soft seaweed in the middle of the nest for the female to layer eggs
23:27Crusty seaweed on the outside
23:28And those fragments of crusty seaweed, they actually continue to grow
23:32When they're on the nest, and they knit the outside of the nest together
23:35Make it stronger
23:37People don't generally think of fish as being, you know
23:41They think of them swimming around in a...
23:43They don't think of them having homes and territories
23:46And such complex behaviour, they're far more complex animals than we give them credit for
23:54One of the most special things about my diving has been getting to know individual fish
23:59And that's where, you know, our study of Tompot blenny's come in
24:05A blenny that most people are familiar with is often called the shanny, which is the small rock pool fish
24:10The Tompot blenny, it's sort of a slightly more glamorous relative, more brightly coloured
24:17Got these amazing head tentacles
24:19And it lives a little bit deeper, just below the shore, but in rocky crevices and reefs
24:25Blenny's are quite small fish, but the way they behave and the way they look gives them a real charisma
24:31And there have been sort of a few articles about them talking about the small fish with a big personality
24:36and things like that
24:37Which I think sums it up beautifully
24:39One that we call Bertram really stands out
24:43We suspected that there were sneaker blenny's
24:46Which are young males, which are too not old and bold enough to keep their own territory
24:52But they sneak into a territory and steal some of the fertilisations of eggs that have just been laid by
24:58a female
24:58So we suspected they were there
24:59Bertram was the first one we saw actually in the act of sneaking into a territory
25:05But what was fascinating, and again, being able to recognise individuals
25:09We followed Bertram's life and saw him become a respectable homeowner in later life
25:14I think Bertram we studied for about six, seven years
25:19All the eggs that he guarded so tenaciously for all those years
25:23Will have hatched into lots more mini Bertrams
25:28That was great, it was lovely and clear
25:31Snake locks ananomy, which are really brilliant green
25:34Velvet swimming crab with bright red eyes, tucked away in a crevice
25:38It absolutely amazes people what's here
25:40Sometimes people come over and say, oh, what have you just taken?
25:44And then they look and I show them perhaps some of the faces of the blenny's or the crabs
25:49And they're just utterly staggered and they say, what was that just in there?
25:52You say, yeah, just over by those rocks it was there
25:54And they're just, yeah, totally blown away
26:00Although I enjoyed getting the footage and the observations and so on
26:04I think the best purpose for that material is just to show people how special the habitats are
26:11How individual the animals are, the complicated lives going on
26:14And that just draws people in and engages them with the sea
26:18When you talk about marine biology, marine conservation
26:22People tend to think about often far away coral reefs, turtles, dolphins and so on
26:28Yeah, all are great, but also there's so much more right on the doorstep that we need to look after
26:34And that supports the wider ecosystem with the dolphins and the turtles as well
26:40Hopefully, by showing just how special these places are, it'll make people want to look after them all the better
26:51Off the west coast of Scotland, near Oban, I'm hoping to catch a sight of my first ever flapper skate
26:58But out here on the boat, every minute feels like forever
27:06It's like morse code at the moment, you get the tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick
27:11We're all standing up, Jane's asking the anglers, is it happening?
27:15Turns out the boat is just moving a little bit
27:18It's all a waiting game, isn't it?
27:19It is
27:29The boys are wheeling in, what's happening?
27:31I think we've got one
27:32We've got a skate on?
27:33We've got a skate on?
27:34Alright
27:36Exciting stuff now, it's about to begin
27:41When I say it's about to begin, I mean the hard work to bring it up to the surface
27:51Does this get any easier?
27:53I hope so
27:55I think we've got at least another 20 minutes
27:59The fish tend to stick to the floor like a big suction cup
28:04So the idea is we've got to try and peel it away
28:07Once we do that, hopefully it'll get a little bit easier
28:10Anything could happen
28:15Do you need to be a strong man or a woman to be able to pull up a skate like
28:19this?
28:19No, it's more technique
28:20I'm more than happy to help in
28:22Do you want to go?
28:23I would love to
28:24Do you want to go with this?
28:25Would you allow me?
28:26Of course you do
28:26Genuinely
28:27Oh, 100%
28:27Oh, I'm in
28:29Anything for science
28:31I may have spoken too soon
28:34Lee says it's all about technique
28:36But there's a very real reason for wearing a harness
28:40You are joking me, Lee
28:42What were you expecting?
28:43I was not expecting this
28:45The secret of this is not to lift the rod too high
28:47Because it'll go like that
28:48And it's called high sticking
28:49And you can snap the tip off
28:50Okay
28:50And you're watching the tip
28:51So if the tip starts to come up
28:53That means the fish is pulling away
28:55And I'll drop and wind
28:56That's it
28:57And then straight back up again
29:01As soon as I lift you can feel the pressure
29:03Like no, you're not going to lift me up
29:05And it just goes back down again
29:11380 foot to go
29:14Enjoy
29:17How these guys do it on a daily basis I don't know
29:20But at least I'm doing my bit for science
29:23Wind in?
29:24Keep going
29:29I reckon I'll stick to my camera work
29:31And leave the angling to the professionals
29:34Especially as our mackerel bait has attracted
29:37More than just one skate
29:41Both of these guys here are on a fish themselves
29:44And what they're trying to do is untangle themselves
29:47And reel in all the other lines
29:52This is a juggling act
29:56Ron is just short of 70
29:58And he's doing all of this winding
30:01Without a harness
30:02He's got that power and the technique
30:04To be able to just sit there
30:06And wind away
30:08Puts me to shame to be perfectly honest
30:10I'm in awe of what these guys are doing
30:18Ready boys, smile
30:20Both onto a fish there
30:24Then 20 minutes later
30:26And from more than 100 metres down
30:30Oh, I can see it
30:31Whoa
30:32That is big
30:34It's very white
30:35On the underbelly
30:40Here it is
30:41Here it is
30:45And you can see its mouth
30:47Wow
30:47See?
30:48The barb just come out so quick
30:52This fish is massive
30:56Can I scan it?
30:57Yeah
30:58So that fish has got a tag in it already
31:00So which means it's been caught?
31:02Yeah, we've captured it and tagged it previously
31:04So we'll be able to look in SkateSpotter
31:05And get the history of this fish
31:07Okay
31:07I'll get a photograph
31:08Even if we've seen it before
31:10Okay
31:10We take a photo
31:12Lee, what are you doing at the moment?
31:14So we put water through the spherical
31:15Gills will fill up
31:16It can breathe
31:17While we do this
31:18Okay
31:18And it keeps the fish nice and cool as well
31:20So you're basically allowing it to breathe?
31:22Yeah, fish care
31:23Fish care
31:26Jane
31:27Yeah?
31:27You're now measuring
31:28Yeah?
31:29Where are you going to measure from?
31:30That's the tip?
31:31Nose to tail, yeah
31:32Nose to tail
31:3476
31:3476
31:3476
31:35And wing tip to wing tip
31:40It's vital for everyone on board
31:42To get the skates back into the water
31:44As soon as possible
31:47That is phenomenal
31:52And off it goes
31:57Straight down to the bottom
32:00Lee
32:00That was absolutely magical
32:03Well done
32:04Well done
32:04My man
32:04How does that feel?
32:06It's great
32:06You did most of the work
32:08Honestly, to be able to see it on the deck
32:11And to see the size
32:12And how quick everyone works
32:16Phenomenal
32:16That's one way of getting data for science
32:20And helping to protect these incredible
32:24Ancient prehistoric animals
32:26Oh
32:28Well done
32:29That was awesome
32:32You'd think that was enough excitement
32:34For one research trip
32:37But no
32:38The next fish is on its way
32:40Whoa
32:41That's huge
32:44The skates may stay in the deep
32:46But high above the waves
32:47Our cliffs are also alive with dramatic stories
32:54A few years ago
32:55Anita faced her fears
32:57And a sheer drop
32:59To meet the seabirds nesting on the cliffs
33:01Of the south west of Wales
33:07Here in Pembrokeshire
33:08The cliff top path runs for around 186 miles
33:12And they reckon
33:13If you were to walk all of it
33:15You'd ascend and descend
33:17Around 35,000 feet
33:20Mount Everest is only 29,000
33:27At around 100 feet
33:29The cliffs here are sheer
33:31And pretty inaccessible
33:32And that makes them ideal nesting sites
33:35For some specialist seabirds
33:38Bob Haycock is a local birding expert
33:41And keeps a record of bird numbers
33:43As populations ebb and flow
33:45These birds are just starting to
33:47Come back to the very same patch of rock
33:49They were here last year
33:51And that's where they lay the single egg
33:53The young guillemots
33:54When they're about half grown
33:55They just jump off
33:56They're flightless
33:57They swim out to sea
33:59With the father bird
33:59The parent
34:00And they go out to spend
34:01The rest of their summer and autumn
34:03Out at sea
34:04How long have you been doing this Bob?
34:06Well
34:07Been working on these birds
34:09Monitoring them if you like
34:11For about 38 years now
34:12I think it is
34:14Some of these birds
34:16That are breeding here
34:17Maybe 30 years old or so
34:1830 years old?
34:20At least
34:21So these birds have grown up with you then?
34:23Well I suppose so
34:24I probably knew them when they were an egg
34:27Maybe
34:27I must admit
34:29When they leave
34:29As they all leave
34:30In late summer
34:31It's one of those sad moments
34:33As if
34:33Uh oh
34:34The year is over
34:35And when they come back in the spring
34:36It kind of
34:37I feel rejuvenated
34:38By them coming here really
34:39So I've come at the right time then?
34:41Yeah you have
34:43Let's have a see what we can watch
34:44I love that
34:46The cliffs are a bird hotspot
34:48And will soon become home to vertical colonies
34:51Of these aerial masters
34:54But that puts them in direct line of disturbances
34:57Because this stretch of coast is renowned for its thrilling
35:01And somewhat challenging cliff climbing
35:04So much so that local and national organisations have come together
35:08To protect these important sites
35:10Paul Cullier of Natural Resources Wales is part of the team
35:15Hello Paul
35:16Can I read your sign then?
35:18So the climbs
35:19Deirdre said to the Flax of Dream
35:22Restricted until the 1st of August
35:23Heart of Darkness can still be climbed by finishing up either
35:27Snozwanger or blowing in the wind
35:29Who comes up with the names?
35:31Is this telling climbers not to come and not to climb?
35:34No no they're really welcome to come here
35:36The birds are all protected
35:37You know we have some really important colonies of seabirds here
35:40Often the climbers will let us know about nesting sites
35:42And then voluntarily restrict climbs
35:45Oh right so climbers give you information
35:47Yeah a real positive two way sort of liaison really
35:49If birds for one reason aren't nesting
35:51We can pull the restriction off and allow them to climb
35:53So we really try and work very closely with them
35:56So what happens if their nests are disturbed?
35:58Yeah if they're disturbed particularly at key stages
35:59When they've got chicks or perhaps eggs
36:01Then obviously other birds can drop in to predate those eggs or chicks
36:04Have you climbed?
36:05I have in the past yeah yeah yeah
36:07Looks pretty scary and dangerous to me
36:09Well it's a little steep
36:09Do you recommend it?
36:10You'll really enjoy if you get to grips with some climbing here
36:12You'll really enjoy it
36:14Now I'm not a climber and these cliffs look absolutely terrifying
36:19But I'm here to meet Steve Quinton from the British Mountaineering Council
36:22And maybe go over the edge
36:26While some of the climbs are now out of bounds
36:28The cliffs just here are bird free
36:30And although I'm in safe hands I have one nagging question
36:34Why am I doing this? I keep asking myself this question
36:37Why did I agree to say yes?
36:39And that is because sometimes opportunities come in life
36:42And you think if I don't take it and I don't do it
36:45And I don't have the experience
36:46I might live to regret it
36:48So you've just got to go for it
36:49The stuff we've got here is actually
36:51You know it's quite full on for a lot of people
36:53So you wouldn't want to come straight here for your first climb
36:56Did you hear that? This is full on for a lot of people
37:00You go over just the other side of those ropes
37:09That's good, so where you're going if you have a look round
37:11You're going to go and stand on top of that rock
37:13Even with not this one or anything?
37:15Yeah, you're just going to get to there
37:17Stand on that ledge?
37:18Yeah, you can stand on that
37:19You'll find your boots really stick well to that
37:22Alright, I'm not actually going to look down
37:23It is amazing
37:24I'm sure the audience can see the view behind me
37:27I'm not going to look
37:29Can you hear those waves?
37:31Sounds pretty dramatic
37:34Okay
37:35Yep, I'm relying on those ropes now
37:37Alright, here we go
37:38There's no turning back
37:39No, I'm afraid you're committed
37:43Wow
37:43Okay, Steve, how long have you been climbing?
37:46So since I was about 16 I think properly
37:50So it's, I don't know, 40 odd years
37:54Wow
37:55Why would you do it?
37:57I think it's, partly it's being out of place like this
37:59And then it's all about, I guess, the challenge of it all
38:03Working out how to get up routes that are kind of near your limit
38:07That's it
38:08I do need to come down a bit further
38:09Yeah, just a smidge
38:12There we go
38:14Wowee
38:17It's extreme, it's terrifying
38:19You can see why birds would come and nest here
38:22Because this little ledge that we're on, it's very comfortable
38:25We're protected from the wind
38:26And the view, I mean we've literally got a bird's eye view
38:29I'm going to just turn this little camera around
38:31Here we go
38:33Look at that
38:34It's stunning air, isn't it?
38:35Isn't this incredible?
38:36Also we're lucky with the weather
38:37Today we've had porpoises here
38:39I've seen dolphins coming past the crag, sea otters, sunfish
38:44So this is fine to climb because there's no birds here
38:47We couldn't do that one over there?
38:49No
38:50And how do climbers feel about that?
38:52Most climbers are pretty aware these days
38:54We have something called the Regional Access Database
38:58Which the BMC produces
39:00We update that continuously really
39:03So people should know where the birds are
39:06Where you're allowed to climb, where you're not
39:09Accepting the challenge to climb and get a different view
39:11Of these sea bird colonies was hard to resist
39:14And it's given me a real insight into the excitement
39:17Of exploring this extreme environment
39:20This has been amazing, thank you
39:22Well, I shouldn't thank you yet
39:24I still need to get back up
39:25This is the actual challenge
39:26That's the tricky bit
39:27We've done the easy bit, come in now
39:28Yeah
39:29Right, let's do it
39:44I did it! That was amazing!
39:53Giving the cliff nesting seabirds peace has really paid off
39:59By 2025 the number of guillemots was back up to the highest level seen in the last decade
40:09Climbers can still check which crags are open
40:12By using the British Mountaineering Council's RADAP
40:22Back on the west coast of Scotland
40:24The excitement is far from over
40:28The next fish is on its way
40:29Whoa!
40:31That's huge!
40:34I'll get the numbers ready
40:35Thank you
40:37This one's a female
40:4158
40:4158
40:45It's good to see that it's nice and healthy
40:46Would you guys say?
40:47Absolutely
40:48Yeah?
40:49Fantastic
40:50That is huge
40:52Absolutely huge
40:58There's a gentle chaos happening
41:00Because everyone knows exactly what they need to do
41:02By the time it touches the deck
41:04And goes back into the water
41:06It's under four minutes
41:07That's quick turnaround
41:10Look at that big fish go
41:15And we're still not done
41:19Believe it or not
41:20We've got a third fish on the go
41:22This is absolutely incredible
41:25Me being a cameraman
41:26I have to stick in a camera somewhere
41:34We've got one, two, three, four, five
41:36Five people waiting for this fish to come up
41:42Oh wow
41:46If you ask me
41:48I'm not a flapper skate expert
41:50But I think this is the biggest one yet
41:57She's been tagged already as well
41:58She's been tagged as well?
41:59Yeah
41:59Okay
42:00We're measuring
42:0384
42:0384 from nose to tail
42:06And 66 inches
42:08From wing to wing
42:09She's the biggest one yet
42:11Well done
42:15Sometimes our marine wildlife needs a helping hand from humans
42:20A couple of years ago
42:22Ellie rolled up her sleeves to help the seals on Skoma
42:27Just off the Pembrokeshire coast
42:29Lies Skoma Island
42:31It's beautiful
42:32Wild
42:33And remote
42:35A perfect combination for wildlife
42:39But as autumn takes hold
42:41This exposed dot of land bears the brunt of the elements
42:46Hardly an ideal time to raise young
42:50Yet this is the season when Atlantic grey seals give birth to their pups
42:59From the relative comfort of this boat
43:02It's really hard to imagine how harsh this environment can be
43:06At its worst
43:07Huge winds and crashing waves batter the shore
43:12And for a newborn seal pup it's a matter of life and death
43:22Keeping a close eye on the pups are wardens Ed Stubbins and Bea Boucher
43:28For nine months of the year Skoma Island is both their home and their office
43:35Autumn's the time for one of their biggest tasks the annual seal count
43:41Today they're surveying one of the most popular seal hotspots on the island
43:49Bea Ed, hello
43:51So Bea, we're in peak popping season now are we?
43:54Yeah absolutely, it's really busy
43:55So end of September, beginning of October is extremely busy
43:58We've got 180 pups at the minute
43:59Wow, and how are their numbers doing here on Skoma?
44:03They're doing really well
44:04They're not just stable but there's a slow overall trend upward
44:10Given that their numbers seem to be doing okay
44:11Why do you need to continue with this monitoring?
44:15Well you need to monitor for a long time so that you know what is normal
44:18And then you can pick up when it's not normal anymore
44:20And of course then they're like indicators of the marine environment
44:24So if the seals are doing badly then probably the sea is doing badly as well
44:27And as long as they're doing well we can kind of assume that the seas are doing well as well
44:31Oh that's good, now to monitor them you have to actually get down onto the beach
44:34Well there's no steps on Skoma, it's going to be a bit of a challenge getting close to them
44:38How do we get down there?
44:40So we're just going to pop down a slope onto the beach
44:44Yeah
44:44But we've got to be really careful because we're going to be going over seabird burrows
44:50Which we don't want to collapse
44:52It's a true conservationist said, you're not worried about us
44:54Don't worry about us, make sure you don't stand on a burrow
44:56Definitely, it's all about the birds and the wildlife
44:59Quite right too
44:59Okay, so head up this way?
45:01Okay, let's give it a go
45:05Most of the spots are pretty difficult to access and at the mercy of the tides
45:13Careful, careful here to stay really close to these rocks
45:17So there's only a small window of opportunity to do the count before the tide turns
45:23It's easy to spot the pups in their newborn white coat
45:26But don't be fooled by the cute and fluffy appearance
45:29Even the youngest pups can be feisty
45:31All right, and we're here
45:35A good attitude to have if you want to survive
45:41The first few weeks of a seal pup's life are critical
45:45It's a time that they need to build up body condition
45:48The mother's milk contains 50% fat
45:51Allowing them to stack on up to two kilograms a day
45:55And that's important because in just three short weeks
45:59They're weaned, they molt
46:01And they are on their own out in the ocean hunting and fending for themselves
46:06So it's no surprise not all of them make it
46:11Around one in five pups die before they're weaned
46:15That can be down to natural mortality, predators or bad weather
46:22But Ed and Bea will record every pup they find, dead or alive
46:28This one looks really small
46:32He doesn't seem happy to see us
46:34As part of the survey, the pups get a colourful mark to help identify them
46:40A moment's discomfort, but it's vital work
46:46Grey seals are among the rarest on the planet
46:50But almost half of the world population is found in the British Isles
46:55Extra laws were introduced in 1970 to protect seals
46:58Since then, numbers have more than doubled
47:02And seal rookeries like Skoma have played a large part in that recovery
47:09So we're going to do this on yellow-red
47:11Looks at me
47:14Red on the right
47:16Red on the right, definitely Ed
47:18Red on the right, yeah
47:19That's it
47:21Closer
47:22That's it
47:24And then get a little bit closer
47:26Leave a gap and get a little bit closer with the can
47:30That's it, perfect
47:32Happy?
47:33Yeah, it's arty
47:34Give it another bit more with the yellow, yeah
47:37Perfect
47:37I feel like that's art there
47:39Yeah
47:45Each tag is unique, ensuring the pups don't get counted twice
47:50Notes and photos are taken and the information is entered into a national database
47:56The Skoma survey has been going for more than 30 years
48:00Making it one of the longest running studies of grey seals in the world
48:03And one of the most comprehensive
48:06Pups here are surveyed from birth until weaning
48:09So it offers a highly accurate picture of survival rates and breeding success
48:15So it seems like quite a strange time to be to pup in the autumn
48:18When the weather starts to get a bit choppy and the swell and the winds pick up
48:22Why do you think they do it now?
48:24Well, I think it's because when they evolved, when the species evolved
48:27They evolved in places where there was a lot of ice in winter
48:31So sea pups and ice would be really well camouflaged
48:34But the species then expanded and now they're down here
48:37But even still, given that the weather can get a bit wild
48:40I presume some pups are lost to that wild weather
48:42Yeah, they are. I mean, some die in strong storms
48:46And when you watch them, it's absolutely heartbreaking
48:49You know, they get literally smacked against the cliff faces
48:51And you think the next morning you come down and there's nothing left
48:54And they're such hardy creatures, absolutely incredible
48:56So they very, very often, they survive
48:59And you can see the mums, how good they are
49:01They are in the water with their pups
49:03They push them back onto the beach
49:05They crawl under them and let them ride on their backs
49:08So they can have a break
49:09Because of course they need to breathe air
49:12With the tide on the turn, it's time to leave the seals in peace
49:16For the next few weeks, Ed and Bea will be returning each day to record more new arrivals
49:33Sadly, in a cruel turn of events, the survey was cut short just days after our visit
49:41Exposed to the worst of the elements, Scoma was hit by stormophilia, closely followed by Stormbrian
49:52Tragically, the storms took a huge toll on the seals
49:56Of 180 pups that had been counted to date, only 33 were spotted in the aftermath
50:05Only time will tell if the Scoma population will make a good recovery
50:12Since the most tragic of times, there has been some wonderful news from Scoma
50:17A few years after Ellie's visit, the island saw 265 births
50:22The highest number of pups since records began
50:29The weather here in the west coast of Scotland has been tremendous, as always
50:34But if you'd like to know what's in store for the week ahead, here's the Countryfile weather forecast
50:47Hi there, good evening to you
50:48It's the feel of the weather that's changed dramatically recently
50:51It's been a very mild weekend
50:53We saw the warmest day of the year so far on Saturday, 16 degrees in Somerset
50:57And the upcoming week will stay very mild indeed, with further spells of sunshine
51:01But blustery and wet weather will affect the north-west corner of the UK
51:05As low-pressure systems continue to brush past the north-west
51:09Whereas further south and east will have high pressure over the near continent
51:12There is a potential of spinning up a deeper area of low pressure as we move through Friday
51:16Which could be disruptive, more on that in just a moment
51:19But rainfall totals will mount up in areas that haven't been that wet this winter
51:23For example, the Western Highlands
51:25Whereas further east, it should be a little bit drier
51:28And it's not just the temperatures across our shores
51:31Much of Western Europe, in fact, will see temperatures above average for this upcoming week
51:36Now, we've had low pressure dominating the sea in this weekend for northern and western areas
51:40It's brought blustery winds here
51:42Some heavy showers, some rumbles of thunder across Northern Ireland
51:44In towards south-west Scotland
51:46Some of these showers will push into Northern England, the Midlands and parts of Wales
51:50But very few reach in the south-east overnight
51:52They'll continue though across Scotland, Northern Ireland
51:54Some of them will continue to be heavy as well with blustery winds
51:58Temperature-wise, still on the mild side, but not quite as mild as what we saw last night
52:02We had double digits for England and Wales
52:04Into Monday then, we'll see this new weather front working into the south-west of the country gradually
52:10But I think many of us start off with some early sunshine
52:13Further blustery showers across Scotland
52:15But soon the sunshine will fade
52:17The skies will turn cloudy as this weather front moves in to bring some persistent rain for Northern Ireland
52:21Large parts of England and Wales
52:23But we're back into the very mild air, I think, on Monday eventually
52:27But temperatures, because of more cloud round, might be a degree or so down on this weekend
52:33We've still got low pressure in charge for the north and west on Tuesday
52:37Starts to pick up south-southwesterly winds from the near continent
52:41So much of England and Wales should see some drier air moving up from France
52:44With the best of the sunshine
52:46Always more cloud without breaks of rain for Western Scotland
52:48And temperatures could be a degree or so higher on Tuesday
52:52So the mid-teens, I suspect
52:54And then for Wednesday, very wet for the north-west
52:57But we're drawing up this warm air from the Biscay across England and Wales
53:03So it'll be noticeably mild or even warm on a Wednesday
53:08Given some good spells of sunshine for England and Wales
53:11Particularly into the south-east, we could reach the high-teens
53:14But further heavy and persistent rain for the north and west of Scotland
53:17And Northern Ireland, where we'll see the low to mid-teens
53:20But there's that 15 to 17 or 18 Celsius
53:23So potentially Wednesday looks like being the warmest day of the week
53:25This cold front passes through
53:28Brings temperatures down a touch during Wednesday night into Thursday
53:31So another blustery day to come
53:33More cloud around, further showers
53:35I think some of them heavy and persistent for Western Scotland
53:38And then an area of rain starts to work in
53:40Associated with that deepening area of low pressure
53:43Temperatures coming down a bit in the north-west
53:45Still mild though, further east
53:47And then there's a bit of uncertainty with this
53:49But this deep low could bring a spell of severe gales
53:53Gales to parts of the west
53:54Especially so for the Republic of Ireland
53:56But even Irish Sea Coast could see gales
53:58Or severe gales through the day on Friday
54:00And we'll see blustery showers
54:02Best of any sunshine towards the south-east
54:04But some cooler air will start to move in behind that low
54:07That's how it's looking, I think, as we head into the following weekend
54:09But the last weekend of February is looking very mild indeed
54:13Take care
54:24I'm spending the day as a data angler
54:27Oh, he's got a different technique to me
54:30Helping track the progress of the critically endangered flapper skate
54:34In the marine protected area of the coast of Oban
54:38I'm not a flapper skate expert, but I think this is the biggest one yet
54:47That was awesome
54:50That was so cool
54:51I've seen it a few times before, but it is really great
54:54For me, it's about the data and getting the information about the skate
54:57Whether the skate's been recaptured, whether it's already tagged
55:02The last one that we caught was the biggest
55:04Yep
55:04And her measurements were
55:0784
55:07Yep
55:08Nose to tip
55:09And 66
55:10Wing to wing
55:11Yep
55:12And she's a female
55:13Yep
55:13If we use that data
55:15Yep
55:15How heavy would she be in pounds?
55:1766 is 193
55:21So the anglers still work in inches and pounds as well
55:23Yes
55:23So 200 pounds is just under 100 kilos
55:27So it's something like 90 kilos
55:29Wow
55:30Wow
55:32After uploading to the app
55:33We can see that this skate has been caught and released six times
55:38We're not harming the fish
55:40No
55:40As we put them back in there
55:41They seem to be okay with recapture
55:43Scientists have been a bit dismissive of the angler data over the years
55:46And said well it's angler data and you're always going back to the same spot
55:49But we may not have noticed the level of residency of the skate if we haven't been coming back to
55:55these same fishing marts all the time
55:57The MPA after just almost 10 years of designation is already showing that the MPA is protecting the animals
56:07Because these animals are so resident they're protected within the site
56:10Right
56:11What we want SkateSpotter app to do is encourage people from all over Scotland to submit photographs
56:17We'd like to widen things out so that we can put the MPA in context
56:21We think skate are starting to recover all around Scotland
56:25Yeah
56:25But if we get photos from people from elsewhere we'll be able to prove that
56:30Are you happy with today?
56:31Yes, brilliant
56:32Good
56:32I'm delighted
56:33Good
56:35I have one last thing to do
56:37And that's to break the news of who landed the biggest skate
56:41Boys, I've had an absolutely tremendous day
56:45Thank you so much
56:47Seeing those fish land
56:49I knew they were going to be big
56:50But I did not realise just how big
56:53Now speaking of big fish
56:55I believe you caught the biggest one Kevin
56:57Well done my man
56:58Lee, I think you need to take a few lessons from Kevin
57:02This is going to hurt
57:03He told me everything I know
57:06But each one of you managed to catch a fish
57:08But his was the smallest
57:10And I helped him pull it up as well
57:11My back was aching
57:13But no, I really appreciate it boys
57:15Thank you so much
57:28Decades of passion and persistence have grown into a full scale mission
57:33To save the flapper skate across Scottish and Irish waters
57:39Powered by anglers, scientists and some seriously smart tech
57:45Even the most elusive creature can have a future
57:48If enough people care to make it happen
57:56Next week, Matt and Sammy visit the River Tweed
57:59On the eve of the new salmon fishing season
58:03Have you done this before?
58:05Smooth right?
58:07Press on the two green buttons there and we'll see how it weaves
58:11Woo!
58:13Wow!
58:14It's been created in front of your eyes, it's amazing
58:18It's good footage isn't it?
58:20That was a salmon, it's got a forked tail
58:22There's a mischievous creature here
58:24The otter loves to come through the fish paths
58:27Look at that!
58:31See you next time, bye bye!
58:39Can the power of nature rebuild broken bonds?
58:43Bear Grylls' wild reckoning is new on iPlayer
58:46You'll find the Antiques Roadshow over on BBC4 tonight
58:49Where Fiona's about to arrive in Birmingham
58:52Because here on BBC1 next, the stars are out for a big screen celebration at the BAFTAs
58:57And today on the eve of the new Yen
59:05For our eyes, we go to the erstmal of the moon
59:05Put in the water, the water, the water, the water
59:05And maybe even a year