A Flapper Skate Egg Nursery in Scapa Flow, and Why It Matters

Imagine a camera moving slowly over a cold, grey seabed in Orkney, and the survey team starting to count. One egg case, then another, then dozens. That is how a potential flapper skate egg nursery was found in Scapa Flow. Orkney Islands Council says the discovery came during a seabed habitat survey in May 2025, early planning work for a potential wet-storage area.

It is an unusual kind of wildlife news. There is no animal encounter in it. It is evidence of where a Critically Endangered skate may be laying its eggs.

What did the Scapa Flow survey find?

According to the council's announcement of 19 December 2025, the survey found a high concentration of egg cases in one part of the study area: 95 confirmed flapper skate egg cases, and 52 more that are also likely to be flapper skate. A small number of follow-up video surveys confirmed one mature male skate nearby.

If it is proven to be a nursery, the council says it would be only the second flapper skate egg nursery known in the world. The first was found at Red Rocks, off Skye on Scotland's west coast, in 2019. NatureScot says the Orkney site would extend the known range of these nurseries about 180 km further north.

The find still leaves big questions open. It does not tell us how often skates use the area, how far the nursery reaches, or whether other parts of Scapa Flow matter too. Those answers need careful follow-up monitoring.

Meet the flapper skate

Flapper skate are among the largest skates in the world. The council notes they are Critically Endangered and a Priority Marine Feature in Scotland, a list of species and habitats of conservation importance. Locally in Orkney the fish is known as the barndoor skate, and it has been illegal to land it commercially since 2009.

Their eggs develop inside leathery cases, sometimes called "mermaid's purses". A nursery matters because the young need a quiet, suitable seabed while they develop. Anchors, dredging or careless diving can disturb that seabed, even when no animal is visible from the surface.

Why this matters to divers and visitors

Scapa Flow is famous for its wartime wrecks and its diving. But its seabed is also living habitat, and a dive site can hold human history and ecological importance at the same time.

To protect the site, the council's Harbour Authority issued a Notice to Mariners on 12 December 2025. It sets up an exclusion zone where anchoring, dredging and all diving are not allowed without prior permission from the Harbour Authority. If you dive in Orkney, ask your operator about the current notices before you go, and never collect or disturb egg cases or any other marine life. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Diving in Scapa Flow should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

For more about marine destinations and wildlife in the region, see our UK ocean guide. Sometimes the ocean shares its rarest stories by leaving a small clue on the seabed.

Questions people ask

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.