Just as we were finishing in the office on Friday evening, Mick O'Connell (IWDG Strandings Officer), notified us that he'd received a call about a live stranded dolphin in Doughmore Bay in Doonbeg. Live stranding calls alway conjure hopes that the animal can be refloated, combined with fears that by the time you get there it
Posts Categorized: News
To celebrate Ireland's National Biodiversity Week, May 19th – 28th, the IWDG is hosting a series of talks and guided land-based whale watches. All events are free and open to people of all ages with an interest in our marine megafauna. We hope to see you at one of our following events: Sat 20th May
Due to the success of the 2016 tour, the IWDG is again undertaking a cruise in 2017 to raise awareness of the importance of Irish waters as a whale and dolphin sanctuary, highlight the work of the IWDG, carry out cetacean research and conduct outreach and education events while in port. The Celtic Mist is
Celtic Mist annually make over is well under way with great help from IWDG members. She was lifted Friday afternoon after Finbarr O’Connell and his crew made the short journey from Fenit to Kilrush Marina. We power hosed a years’ epifauna and growth from her hull and Fiacc changed over the anodes (with a little
Probable “Bowhead” whale off the Stags, West Cork 17th April 2017. On Monday 17th April morning Whale Watch boat the MV Holly Jo left Reen Pier near Union Hall on a regular 4 hour trip exploring the rich and diverse waters of West Cork, southwest Ireland. An hour in, it was clear that this was
Updated 9 April 2017 This year’s blue whiting acoustic survey began far off the Southwest coast on the Porcupine Bank. To get there we swapped the shelter of Galway Bay for the Atlantics growing swell, giving us a taste of the less than desirable forecast on the way. It took a day to reach the
Report II, Update 5th April 2017 Great news today from our MMO Officer, Patrick Lyne who has reported the first humpback whale of the 2017/18 whale season, with a single animal seen this afternoon tail-fluking from Crow Head, Beara Peninsula about 5 Km offshore, among large numbers of common dolphins. It seems that each year,
Four Common dolphins were stranded in Cloghane estuary at 11am on March 30th. Locals had noticed the four dolphins foraging as the tide was going out and it is quite common for individuals to be caught out by the quickly receeding tide in the area and so the alert was raised. Sure enough about 30
IWDG members are invited to attend our Strandings Network Meeting, which will include updates on strandings from around the country, the work of the tissue bank that the network feeds into, and coordination of the network for the coming year. It will also be a great opportunity to brush up on some of the finer
UPDATE 21 MARCH 2017 IWDG have received a letter from Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys following our concern regarding increased strandings, especially of common dolphins. In the letter the Minister states that "the Department have a robust programme of scientific monitoring in place for all species including extensive offshore