For the past decade, Perth’s Paul ‘Smudger’ Smith has been helping rescue whales in the Forth and beyond.
The 56-year-old is the area coordinator for British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).
Whenever a whale is stranded on the beach or in perilously shallow waters, a dedicated team of BDMLR volunteers will be on the scene.
We met Smudger, who prefers to go by his nickname, at Kinghorn.
His very presence did not go unnoticed.
Kinghorn has a thriving community of whale watchers and the sight of Smudger at the beach with binoculars raised hopes there could be something interesting in the Forth. He had to explain he was just in town for an interview.
How do you become a whale rescuer?
Smudger’s story with the BDMLR started about a decade ago.
He was a firefighter in Dundee at the time, and involved in water rescues.
BDMLR works with a range of other agencies including the fire service to keep both people, and animals, safe during rescues. Someone from the organisation visited Smudger’s station to give a talk.
It was a life changing moment for Smudger. He volunteered to join up.
And he found he was needed sooner than expected.
“Two weeks later he phoned me to say ‘what are you doing?’
“‘We’ve got 20-odd whales on the beach at Pittenweem. Do you want to come and help?’
“That was my first rescue.”
Rescuing animals ‘very similar’ to helping people
Smudger says his fire fighting background prepared him for what can be life-and-death situations for stranded whales.
“The emergency service background that I have links in very well with this because it’s a similar process.
“You have a rescue plan, you have procedures.”
Sadly, there isn’t always a happy ending.
“It’s like human rescue. There are fatalities and success stories.
“You can’t always save everything.
“You try to remain professional and detach yourself. My main focus on a rescue is looking after the team and making sure the team’s safe.”
Why you shouldn’t kiss a whale
Whales, whether happily bobbing in the Forth or precariously stranded on a beach, generate a lot of interest.
“It hits social media. Everybody wants to see a whale,” says Smudger.
But while most people follow advice and keep a respectful distance, he says a small minority cause problems.
“There are some people who will insist. They want to stand right next to it, touch it and kiss it, and just get in the way.
“They don’t understand the dangers.”
“Whales can transmit diseases to humans that they can tolerate and live with, but if we get it we could be dead in a week.”
Smudger
The advice is simple. If you see a stranded whale on the beach, leave it alone and phone the experts – BDMLR for animals that are still alive and Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme for dead animals.
“If the animal moves, you could be crushed,” says Smudger.
“Whales can transmit diseases to humans that they can tolerate and live with, but if we get it we could be dead in a week.
“There are reasons we try to keep people away. And there are welfare issues as well.”
The disentanglement team
BDMLR volunteers don’t just rescue whales. They are involved in a huge range of work protecting all manner of sea mammals.
You’re up close and personal with an animal that’s stressed, wrapped in gear, on a small boat with surgical sharp knives.”
Smudger
One aspect of his work Smudger is keen to highlight is his involvement with the BDMLR’s Large Whale Disentanglement Team.
It is the only team of its kind in Europe, and has in the past been called to help a whale off the coast of Iceland.
Entanglement is when whales get caught up in fishing gear. It can result in the animal starving or drowning.
The work is not for the faint-hearted. But Smudger is no stranger to danger.
“You get a bit of a kick off of that. It’s a bit on the dangerous side.
“It’s very risky. You’re up close and personal with an animal that’s stressed, wrapped in gear, on a small boat with surgical sharp knives.”
Do the whales know the team is helping them? Some do, says Smudger.
“They’ve all got their own personalities. Some of them will just relax and let you do what you need to do. Some of them will be really reactive and get aggressive.”
He says a huge range of expertise is involved in rescue operations.
Everyone from the Coastguard and local authorities to marine scientists can be involved.
“This isn’t about me, it’s about everybody else, it’s about the team.
“There are so many people involved in this and it links into so many things.”
He added: “We’re doing a lot of work regarding entanglements and without the help of the fishing industry, we couldn’t do some of the rescues that we do.
“They’ve got the knowledge and the skill and they inform us.”
‘Fun’ role was natural progression
Born in Derby, Smudger grew up in Sheffield and moved to Scotland in 1981.
He has always had an interest in wildlife. He is a trained diver and has enjoyed exploring the depths of the Forth.
“When you’re down there, you always come across stuff. The sea’s full of animals.”
And his work with the BDMLR allows him to work with “some really interesting animals”.
He added: “For me, it’s a natural progression from what I did as a job.
“There’s a fun element to it, but there’s a serious side, that you’re actually helping to protect the environment and do some good in the community.”
Conversation