Posts Categorized: News

On 29 May, IWDG member, Andrew Malcolm, who is a regular watcher off Ram Head, Ardmore, Co. Waterford, observed at least five fin whales and another sp. which may have been a humpback, during an “effort watch”. This is the earliest records of fin whales off the Irish south coast, which in previous years have

Read More

Fines for illegal fishing in Europe are a drop in the ocean, the European Union’s executive Commission said on Monday, urging states to punish those who flout the rules by suspending their fishing licences instead.

Three inflatable boats and a tug rescued a 30-tonne whale from a French beach on Wednesday where the mammal had got stuck, the fire brigade said. PLanet Ar

Japan risks a worldwide backlash over plans to expand its annual whale hunt, Australia warned on Tuesday in a letter to Japan’s prime minister, but Tokyo vowed not to bow to foreign pressure. http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/30959/stor

The second IWDG whalewatching weekend, organised on Tory Island, Co Donegal delivered spectacular sightings of basking sharks and a probable humpback whale !

Following the publication of the new IWDG/BIM Boat Users Guide to Cetaceans in the Irish Skipper and Inshore Ireland, the IWDG have had an encouraging response from the fishing industry.

Millions of visitors come to Ireland every year looking for the “black stuff” but now, with oil prices above $50 a barrel, an increasing number are exploring for more than just Guinness.