A man had his boat punctured when an endangered skate attacked the bow – leaving its tooth embedded in it.
Paul Hutchison, 41, was on a solo trip off the north coast of Muckle Roe, Shetland, for a spot of fishing and sightseeing when he noticed splashing behind him.
Paul assumed it was a seal, which local fishermen regularly come across. The animal came up to the surface and rammed Paul’s boat five times before he managed to record its final, piercing attack. He heard a hiss of air and immediately turned on his engine and headed for shore, reaching land 25 minutes later. Paul managed to retrieve a tooth from the bow, which was covered in bite marks.
The lifeboat technician said: “There was definitely a point where I felt very vulnerable out on that small boat. I could see it approaching the boat from the seabed on my sonar scanner each time it surfaced but I still had no idea what it was. The sixth time it came to surface, it fully burst the boat and I heard a big hiss of air.
“I knew I had a limited amount of time to get back to shore and I couldn’t go full speed because it could damage or deflate the boat further. I was relieved to make it back onto dry land, that’s for sure.”
Paul only realised the attack came from a skate after watching back the video.
Paul said: “Not only is this the first time I had ever seen a skate in the wild but it’s the first time anyone has documented the animal attacking a boat. I am currently working with the local university, University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), on deciphering why the endangered animal would attack.
“From the tooth which I found embedded in my boat, they have been able to identify it as a critically endangered male flapper skate. Right now, the theories around its attack include it seeing the boat as a perceived threat or a foraging opportunity.”
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