Scientific Research
in collaboration with MV Clasina, Orkney Skate Trust, DNA Divers & Edinburgh Napier University and University of the Highlands and Islands.
I began working onboard the Clasina in 2021 initially, and began collecting citizen science data, focused on Elasmobranchs in Scotland.
BRUV (Baited Remote Underwater Video) data was recorded from remote sites accessed by the boat.
I completed a MRes at Edinburgh Napier University, using this data—alongside contributions from other research teams—to develop understanding of the distribution of flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius) in Orkney.
Some video highlights from BRUV data collection onboard the Clasina.
Scientific Journal article co-authorship:
Miranda, Joni A., Natasha Yates, Ariana Agustines, Nonie P. Enolva, Jessica Labaja, Christine Legaspi, Emer McCoy, Alessandro Ponzo, Sally Snow, and Gonzalo Araujo. "Donsol: an important reproductive habitat for the world's largest fish Rhincodon typus?." Journal of Fish Biology 98, no. 3 (2021): 881-885.
Neave, Erika F., Annie Watson, Alice Cunnington, Giulia Maiello, Natasha Yates, Candice J. Parkes, Fiona Crouch et al. "DNA Divers: volunteer‐based eDNA capture for local and global marine biodiversity monitoring." Methods in Ecology and Evolution 16, no. 10 (2025): 2431-2447.
The boat runs trips across Scotland and Norway. Destinations include: Scapa Flow, the Sound of Mull, the outliers, St Kilda and many more.
Clasina
Current collaborations include: Orkney Skate Trust, Seasearch, and Edinburgh Napier University, UHI and DNA Divers.
