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Probe into claims dead fish dumped in Skye harbour

Open Seas Dead fish and prawns in a still taken from underwater footage taken of the seabed at Dunvegan. Open Seas
Sharks, flatfish and prawns were among animals found dead at Dunvegan

Reports of dead fish and shellfish being dumped in a north west Skye harbour are being investigated by the Scottish government.

Marine environment charity Open Seas has obtained images showing small sharks, flatfish, prawns and an endangered flapper skate on the seabed at Dunvegan.

There are strict rules around fishing boats' dumping unwanted catch, and the Scottish government said it had measures in place to tackle illegal discards.

A spokesperson said it was "aware of an incident that was reported to our local fishery office".

Open Sea campaigns on issues around sustainable fishing and the environment.

The charity's Nick Underdown described the footage from Dunvegan as "shocking".

He said: "Most of this dumping happens at sea out of sight from public view. It is very rare for it for it to be seen in a harbour."

The flapper skate found dead at Dunvegan had a length of plastic cable wrapped around its tail.

In Scotland, the endagered fish are found on the west coast and in Orkney and Shetland.

They take more than 10 years to reach maturity and produce low numbers of offspring, meaning populations recover slowly from any negative impact such as habitat loss.

The adult fish hunt for prawns, other skate and small sharks in deep water.

Open Seas The flapper skate is shown in a still taken from underwater footage of the seabed at Dunvegan. It is grey and brown in colour and has green cable wrapped around its tail.Open Seas
A dead flapper skate was among the fish found at Dunvegan

The charity prompted an investigation in August 2023 after it alleged three rare flapper skate were found among thousands of dead prawns on the seabed off the island of Gigha.

Open Seas claimed the fish were discarded after they were caught unintentionally by a trawler while prawn fishing.

The Scottish government it was seeking to tackle issues with illegal discarding through its Future Catching Policy.

A spokesperson added: "This is being supported by the rollout of remote electronic monitoring and vessel tracking technology to enable us to better monitor fishing operations, effort and catch with the aim of ensuring fishing activity remains sustainable, responsible and accountable."

Open Seas A creel pot and dead fish and prawns in a still taken from footage taken of the seabed at Dunvegan.Open Seas
The Scottish government said it was investigating the incident