IWDG establish Fin Whale Photo-Identification Catalogue Remember fin whales? Yes, these are the large whales that really kick started the IWDG’s Whale Track, or the “Large whale Project” as it was known some 20 years ago. It’s so easy to forget with so much of the emphasis in recent times on humpbacks, that fin whales
The IWDG welcomes the new report by the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action on Biodiversity. The Committee was chaired by Brian Leddin TD and included 15 members from across all parties. This report points the way towards how we restore biodiversity in nature and how to best reap the co-benefits associated with diverse
The deep-sea floor is rich with minerals required for a more environmentally sustainable future. But at what cost? The potential catastrophic impact of mining operations on the deep-sea environment is undeniable. These are habitats currently largely unexplored by man and far removed from all human settlements, and therefore difficult for many people to appreciate what
Citizen Assembly on Biodiversity Grand Hotel, Malahide 5 November 2022 We are very lucky in Ireland, indeed privileged to have such a rich biodiversity of marine species such as whales and dolphins, seabirds, seals, sharks and even tuna. We have a huge EEZ, 7 times our land mass, hosting a variety of marine habitats, up
Tarmon, Mullet Peninsula, Co. Mayo 26th October 2022 Tarmon (An Tearmann) lived up to its reputation as a live stranding hotspot again on the 26th of October 2022 when 24 common dolphins were found live stranded on the outgoing tide. It’s a beach that keeps on giving! A mother and calf were also found live
CONAMARA SEA WEEK SET TO DELIGHT VISITORS WITH EXCITING PROGRAMME The 38th annual Conamara Sea Week takes place in the Quaker village of Letterfrack in North-West Connemara from the 22nd to 31st October 2022. Conamara Sea Week is a celebration of the wonderful marine and cultural heritage of Connemara and this wonderful and unique festival
Sorcha Maguire – Shannon Dolphin Project Intern 2022 My Journey with the Irish whale and dolphin group began under what seemed at the time to be very unusual circumstances. In 2020 during the very first covid-19 lockdown. I was in my third year of studying freshwater and marine biology in Galway, and as part of
**Update ** 3rd October 2025 The OCEAN Project finale was hosted in the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), Lisbon with consortium members presenting their final findings and outputs to both an in-person audience and a remote group via a simulcast to London Shipping Week. It is interesting to look back on these last 3 years,
Celtic Mist Cruise 9 – Baltimore to Cork It was a mixed bag of weather as the crew made their way back to Cork! Day 1: After a morning of buying provisions, safety briefings and getting to grips with Logger (the programme used for data collection) we set off from Baltimore at 12pm. We made
I was asked by the team in Kilrush a week or so ago to draft some copy to wrap up the 2022 field season and my initial thought was…. “that’s a little premature”. While we can probably draw a line on this season for the likes of basking sharks, for other species, the season may