School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine

The SMASS programme (Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme) is a Scottish government-funded contract to undertake surveillance of marine ecosystem health, predominantly through the investigation of stranded marine mammals. The programme has been operational since 1992, and since 2021 we have run it from the University of Glasgow (SBOHVM). The programme is directed by lead the marine pathology work Dr Andrew Brownlow and supports the employment of two part-time Research Associates. The scheme also supports a number of PhD students.

 

Over the past five years, the project has produced more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and reports based on data and samples collected through the scheme. We currently maintain one of the world's largest tissue archives from marine mammal necropsy investigations, comprising over 17,000 samples from more than 21 species, and use this to understand feeding and reproductive ecology, contaminant burdens, and the impact of human activities on the marine environment. We are also actively engaged in community outreach through the BeachTrack app and manage a volunteer network of over 350 individuals who assist us in collating stranding data from across Scotland. The contract renewal was a competitive tender and will be with the School for the next 5 years.