On Thursday the 7th at Helvic, Co. Waterford, two juvenile Sowerby’s beaked whales live stranded – one male and one female. Tragically, both whales did not survive. Beaked whales are deep diving species, plunging to depths of 1–2km in the canyons beyond the continental shelf. Their presence in coastal waters so far from their natural habitat
Summer Sightings Summary Roundup 2025 As we are now past the halfway mark in the year, it’s as good a time as any to take a look at what the sightings data might be telling us. With a running total of 1,386 validated unique records year to date, we may be having a quieter year
On the evening of Sunday July 27th, two rare deep-diving True’s beaked whales live stranded at Kilcummin Back Strand, Co. Mayo. (Castlelacken on google maps). This mother and calf pair were seen swimming rapidly into shallow waters just before peak high tide, and subsequently beaching themselves on the shore. Unfortunately, the mother whale died within moments of
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) welcomes the announcement of restrictions on fishing on vessels larger than 18 meters within 6 nautical miles of the coast and baselines. This measure is very welcome as it safeguards forage fish and other species which are so important to support the marine ecosystem. The IWDG acknowledges
Celtic Mist Survey Cruise Leg 07: Derry-Carlingford Skipper: Fiacc First Mate: Jane Marine Biologist: Patrick Crew: Aoife, David, Sorley, Robbie Day 1: Foggy Hellos in Derry We arrived in Derry under a classic Irish fog, the kind that makes everything feel a little more mysterious. One by one, the crew trickled in from all corners;
Celtic Mist Leg 05: Rossaveal – Killybegs Skipper: Pat First mate: Jane Marine biologist: Patrick Assistant Marine biologist: Bláthnaid Crew: Ruth, Christina, Fiona, Theresa Our week aboard the Celtic Mist started in Rossaveal (a small Gaeltacht village & ferry port for the Aran Islands), with the clever thinking of Pat the Skipper, our food supply
Blog 1: On the 19th of June, PhD student Cilia Kootstra and Atlantic Whale Deal project leader Emilie De Loose left Galway and boarded RV Celtic Explorer for a three-week survey. A day earlier the Sea.AI Sentry thermal camera, nicknamed Wall-E, had been mounted on handrail of the crow’s nest and excitement was running high.
Before I get into the meat of this piece, I’d like to tackle an issue which seems to get some people both animated and agitated in equal measure. There is no right or wrong way to refer to this species. Some people use the term “Killer whale” whilst others prefer “Orca”. Neither one is more
From Nice to Ireland: UNOC3 and the Global Momentum for Ocean Protection From June 9th to 13th, 2025, the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) convened in Nice, France, gathering world leaders, scientists, NGOs, Indigenous representatives, youth, and ocean advocates under the urgent banner of safeguarding our ocean. Representing the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group
Common Dolphin Rescue, River Moy, Ballina (23 June 2025) A sincere thank you to everyone who responded to the stranding of a live common dolphin in the River Moy in Ballina earlier today (23 June). The dolphin had made its way upstream as far as the SS Crete Boom and became stranded on a sandbar