IWDG visited the stranded fin whale on Dollymount Strand today before it was buried. Sibéal Regan and Conal O’Flanagan measured the whale at 11.7m and determined it to be a male. Thanks to Pat Corrigan and Dublin City Council for waiting for IWDG before burying the whale to enable us to get valuable samples. Some
For good reason it always seems to be humpback whales off the known Cork and Kerry hotspots that make the big news stories, such as the one that featured on the main RTE news last night, but recent humpback whale sightings in Donegal Bay remind us that there may be a bigger picture….. IWDG have
On Tuesday 18th September, Simon Berrow and Frances Bermingham headed out with Nick Massett off west Kerry to deploy a Soundtrap, an underwater recording device, in an attempt to record humpback whales singing in Ireland. This was part of WhaleTrack Ireland, an exciting project funded by Ryanair’s Carbon Offset Partnership, which is supported by Ryanair
The IWDG welcome the closure of the Celtic Sea Herring fishery due to the small size of fish caught. The fishery opened on Sunday and the fish caught were very small. the Celtic Sea Herring Management Advisory Committee who represent the fishing industry and fish producers recommended closure . They stated “The CSHMAC organised a
Under WhaleTrack Ireland the IWDG bought a drone to film large whales in Irish waters to assess their length and body condition. Here IWDG Science Officer Seán O’Callaghan and CEO Dr Simon Berrow review some amazing footage of humpback whales taken off West Cork and discuss the implications and potential use of the footage. The
Report by Karen van Dorp Skipper: Dr. Patrick Hartigan (‘The Swamp Monster’) First mate: David Bagnall Senior marine biologist: Karen van Dorp (‘Headbanger 2’) Marine biologist: Derick Bora (‘Bowrider’) Crew: Conal O’Flanagan, John ‘JC’ Cotter (‘Headbanger 1’), John ‘The Real John’ Kelleher (‘Twinkletoes’, ‘Hawkeye’, ‘Queen of the Night’), Norrina Fleming (‘The Real Queen of the
The IWDG contribute a monthly radio slot on This Island Nation, courtesy of the generosity of Tom McSweeney. This Island Nation is broadcast on digital radio and syndicated all around Ireland. IWDG feature strongly on this months edition of “This Island Nation” with the current Cape Verdes expedition and IWDG Sightings Officer’s thoughts on the
On Saturday 24th August, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group delivered Whale Watch Ireland 2019. All–Ireland Whale Watch day, now in its 19th year, comprises free, guided land-based watches, spread over 14 counties, and in all four provinces and continues to be one of the largest events on the Irish wildlife calendar. To maximize the impact of this
The main purpose behind this Septembers survey is collaboration between IWDG, Bios.CV, ECOCV, Edmaktub Association and the Swiss Whale Society #IWDGCVI 13 September 2019 After two weeks, we arrived back to Sal Rei on Boavista last night after a long 16 hour passage from Santiago. The wind was more north than east which meant a
Read her amazing story …… 18 August 2019 Following the amazing news of sightings of “Spirtle” off the east coast of Ireland, she has been seen of Fenit, Co Kerry regularly over the last month. She was reported on 7th July by James O’Shea off Samphire Island just off Fenit in Tralee Bay, Co. Kerry.