This weeks blog comes from Sloan Massie. Sloan is the Welfare Officer for IWDG and a veterinarian with a special interest in aquatic animal medicine and pathology. She joined leg 3 of Celtic Mist as a biologist and already cannot wait to jump aboard next year! Rossaveal to Killybegs Crew members : Skipper Pat, First
We are back for a new season of our scientific program aboard the Celtic Mist! Like 2023, every week a new crew will help survey Irish coastal waters and more specifically Areas of Interest (AOI) for Marine Protected Areas identified by Fair Seas and the IWDG. This first part of the season is focus on
During the 2023 season the IWDG conducted surveys onboard R.V Celtic Mist in Partnership with Fair Seas within two Areas of Interest (AOI) highlighted in the Revitalising Our Seas report: the Southwest Coast and Loop Head to Kenmare River AOI’s. This survey programme was designed to capture the maximum amount of data within these areas
On the 5th June 2024, four common dolphins live stranded on one of our known Live Stranding Hotspots on the Mullet Peninsula for common dolphins. The Mullet peninsula acts as a natural barrier for common dolphins wanting to head back out to the open sea after feeding in Blacksod Bay. Many of the beaches on
Atlantic Whale Deal: Mitigating Ship Strikes and Enhancing Carbon Sequestration in the Atlantic The IWDG are partners in an EU Interreg Atlantic Area funded project which aims to mitigate against ship strikes and enhance carbon sequestration in the Atlantic. The project aims to address these shared challenges by delivering innovative solutions that protect whales
Now in their 3rd year, IWDG has just delivered the first of this season’s residential weekend whale watching courses at the CECAS Ctr. In Leap, west Cork. A pretty dire weather outlook for much of the weekend left us with a few challenges for the Saturday in particular, but it’s clear that this venue and
The IWDG has recently been involved in the ongoing public consultation by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communication on the draft South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan. CEO Dr Simon Berrow sat on a panel discussion with DECC officials and others in Waterford, while Marine Policy Officer Dr Stephen Comerford sat on similar panels
On Saturday 18th May the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) delivered another Whale Watch Ireland 2024. All Ireland Whale Watch day, now in its 22nd year, comprises free, guided land-based whale watches, which this year was planned for 11 sites in 11 coastal counties, throughout the four provinces. The main objective of Whale Watch
On the week of all Ireland Whale- Watch day, this Sat. 18th May, it seems a little odd to be writing about a species that is neither whale nor even a mammal, but a fish. However, the basking shark is no ordinary fish, and IWDG have always looked on them more like honorary whales, reflecting
Sightings Summary Review 2023 During 2023, the IWDG validated 2,684 cetacean and basking shark sighting records, combining both casual and effort related sightings. This is the highest number of sightings handled by IWDG since the group was established in 1990 and represents an 8.6% increase on 2022. During this period 329 land-based effort watches were carried out