Report II, 09/10/09. The flow of sightings in recent days leaves little doubt other than the core area of large whale activity, namely fin whales, remains tantalisingly just outside the reach of many. From land there are several options but the easiest may be the Lusitania memorial at the Old Head of Kinsale (please note,
Posts Categorized: News
Report IV, 05/10/09. Just talking to Nick Massett, in Kerry this morning (5/10/09) while he was watching the humpback whale #HBIRL10 (above) from Slea Head, “Pec-slapping” some 10 miles offshore. Nick first observed this adult humpback three weeks ago on 19th Sept and has recorded it on 8 days in the interim period. Nick’s effort
After a flurry of emailing of images among colleagues both at home and overseas, IWDG are delighted to confirm the 1st sei whale sighting (not subsequently stranded) validated by the IWDG in Irish waters. On Wed. 23rd September 2009 IWDG member, John Brittain based in Clifden was out on one of their angling charters in
The 2009/10 fin & humpback whale season seems to have commenced with fin whale sighting reports from several inshore Cork locations and humpback whales confirmed off Slea Head, Co. Kerry. It may come as no surprise to Irish whale enthusiasts that the end of summer generally heralds the arrival of large whales, namely fin and
There is a £200 (Sterling) reward for anyone who finds a basking shark tag thought to be washed up in County Dublin or Wicklow. Our colleagues in the Isle of Man have been putting out satellite tags on basking sharks this summer. They are designed to pop off after a pre-determined time. One of their
An adult minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata, which appears to have drowned following entanglement in ropes, washed ashore today 16/09/09 at Inishcrone, Co. Sligo. The 8.8m female had extensive deep rope marks on its flank, tail stock and tail and likley died during the last few days. Interestingly, this is the second stranding in the area
The IWDG were featured on RTE News and Seascapes on RTE Radio 1 yesterday regarding the recent cetacean strandings in Ireland. The IWDG in partnership with Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) recently carried out a two week survey of offshore deep-water canyons on the RV Celtic Explorer. This survey targeted beaked whales, a group of
Irish Pelagic Sustainability Group (IPSG) have recently been awarded the Marine Stewardship Council Certification for its Western mackerel pelagic trawl fishery and is therefore able to use the MSC’s logo on its products. This covers mackerel fished in EU Waters: ICES sub-areas VI, VII and VIII and Division Vb and international waters: sub-areas XII and
During a rare respite in the weather (during dinner time, of course!) the Cetaceans on the Frontier research team (see http://www.iwdg.ie/ShipSurveys/?id=68) witnessed something that none had thought possible. Hopes were high that we would encounter some of the infamously elusive offshore bottlenose dolphins during the Cetaceans on the Frontier research cruise. We had had a
Survey Ended: Cetaceans on the Frontier Survey 2009 Area: Porcupine Bank & NW Shelf Slopes. Agency: IWDG/GMIT/Marine Institute Ship: Celtic Explorer ______________________________________ 31st August 2009 We arrived at Galway docks at 02:00hrs this morning. At 8am we began unloading gear and equipment, including the IWDG RIB. By midday we were on our way back to