"It’s a fine shame to all involved." Britain's biggest salmon farm has the greenlight off Shetland, and it's making unlikely bedfellows of fishers and environmentalists. w/ Karen McVeigh for Seascapes:

Delighted that my scribblings about fish, wind and whisky won a clutch of gongs at the Highlands and Islands Media Awards last week. Especially proud to have taken best feature and be picked journalist of the year. Shetland is a bustling patch and I'm lucky to cover it!

🔴NEW: A body which sets environmental and welfare standards for fish farms took wholesale buyers to a Scottish salmon farm which broke its rules for 11 consecutive weeks. Our latest investigation: www.theferret.scot/a...

Shetland's farmers say they reacted quickly to "exceptional" conditions; campaigners say waters are warming and "the writing is on the wall". Either way, because of how fish deaths are reported, our figure is likely an underestimate.

While other Scottish councils spent their share of nature/coastal adaptation funds on... nature/the coast, Shetland slushed the money into its general coffers for stuff like IT and vehicle maintenance. "Completely unacceptable" said @scotwildlife.bsky.social's @ruchirlives.bsky.social.

I'm thrilled to share that I’ve been picked as a winner of the National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communications (@scicommexcellence.nationalacademies.org). www.nationalacademies.org/news/2025/10...

HUGE (if mixed) news week for Shetland's crabs 🦀 First beachcombers find a rare Columbus crab the size of a 50p coin. Then a scientific fracas about whether subsea cables "mesmerise" crustaceans. And we found some less good news: www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/news/release...

A compressor at Shetland's oil terminal broke for *nine* straight months last year, pushing the isles' entire methane emissions to a near decade high. "It's an embarrassment for the whole community." @alexjarmitage.bsky.social @r-dixon.bsky.social www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/news/broken-...

🔴 NEW: Lochs in Orkney, the Highlands and the Outer Hebrides are among waters containing high levels of toxic pollutants with health risks known as ‘forever chemicals’. Our latest investigation: theferret.scot/orkne...

🔴 NEW: A consultancy firm which took part in a government pilot for fast-tracking salmon farm applications did an “independent” evaluation of that same pilot — prompting critics to call it a “sham” and claim a conflict of interest could threaten the marine environment 🧵

New with @theferret.scot: How one boat’s engine trouble exposed a broader breakdown in fishing rules and the government’s investigation.

Glad to contribute a little bit of shoe leather to this great report from @desmog.com's @ellen-ormesher.bsky.social.

NEW: A Norwegian company has drawn up plans for Britain’s first deep-sea salmon farm in waters off Shetland, prompting concerns it is an “experiment in factory farming” that could damage the environment. theferret.scot/norwe...