2025 was a record year for marine megafauna sightings in Scottish seas, with more than 100,000 whales, dolphins, porpoises and other species reported to the Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust (HWDT).
Common dolphins were at one time considered rare summer visitors, but they made up more than 35% of all sightings.
Although they are now seen across Scotland’s waters year-round, 2025 was the first year in which they overtook harbour porpoises to become the most frequently reported species on Whale Track, the HWDT’s app for sighting reports.
Harbour porpoises and minke whales followed closely behind the common dolphins, with others among the species recorded including bottlenose and Risso’s dolphins, basking sharks, orcas and humpback, fin, sperm, pilot and sei whales.
A surprise encounter occurred in early May when a are Arctic visitor, a beluga whale, appeared in Loch Broom near Ullapool to capture national attention.
Another highlight was the reunion of two orcas named John Coe and Aquarius, the last known members of the “West Coast Community”, after nearly five months without being seen together. They were spotted in the Sound of Rum in early September.
A sunfish, one of the largest bony fish in the world, was reported in June off the east coast of Tiree, with a subsequent sighting in August near the Treshnish Isles.
Sixteen species
The record number of reports came in from more than 1,000 members of the public or citizen-scientists via the app.
Many animals will have been recorded more than once, says the trust, as individuals and pods sometimes comprising more than 100 animals move through Scottish waters. Sixteen species were reported among nearly 14,000 encounters.
“People are at the heart of protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises in Scotland,” says HWDT sightings and education manager Sadie Gorvett. “The data they collect underpins everything we do. Whale Track now has more than 8,000 registered users and continues to grow year on year – it’s an extraordinary public effort.”
Mull-based HWDT has been operating for more than 30 years, so has been able to compile a dataset that reflects cetaceans’ long lives and wide-ranging travels, illustrating how Scottish seas have changed and continue to do so.
To this end it is encouraging the public to use the Whale Track app and report their sightings in 2026. If you are likely to dive or visit Scottish coasts this year, download it free from Google Play or the App Store.
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