A large swathe of ocean off the south west coast of Ireland has been added to a list of ‘Hope Spots’ by a global marine conservation movement. Mission Blue is led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and now has a network of 148 Hope Spots across the globe. It aims to inspire public awareness,
The most common baleen whale in the world and the one most commonly harpooned by whalers is the one to which we have given the least attention. Because we seem to think anything we do cannot impact minke numbers, which of course is not true. Apart from whaling minke whales face an increasing threat from fishing,
Tarmon, Mullet Peninsula, Co. Mayo 26th January 2023 A particularly difficult stranding occurred at Tarmon, Blacksod, Co. Mayo (a live stranding hotspot), on Sunday the 22nd of January. A robust female striped dolphin was live-stranded and preyed upon by gulls before being found by a member of the public. Unfortunately, her injuries were too severe and
The Shannon Dolphin Project (SDP) is offering several volunteer internships positions during the 2023 field season. The internship runs from May – September 2023 and the minimum duration for successful applicants is 10 weeks. Background: The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) is a registered charity and NGO in the West of Ireland. The group have been
Backstrand, Derrynane Beach Co Kerry Friday, 13th January 2023 An adult female Cuvier’s beaked whale stranded at the backstrand of Derrynane Beach on Friday 13th January. She was relatively fresh and her carcass was moved by a local with a digger from the beach’s channel onto the Lamb’s Head side of the bay above the high tide mark
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Groups education and outreach programme were kick-started this year at the first international ocean education and training conference in Gent, Belgium. Hosted by Ghent University Museum and organised by Ghent University, Sorbonne Université, Universitá Politecnica Delle Marche and the Atlantic Technological University. The conference focused on five leading themes central
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group is Ireland’s premier eNGO working in the marine environment. Established in 1990, the IWDG has built a credible reputation for effective advocacy for cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and their habitats. The IWDG is also a primary data holder with unique datasets on cetaceans which we use to support
For the first eight years of the Irish humpback whale catalogue, a map of their known movements would have been pretty uninteresting as it probably wouldn’t of extended much beyond a 100 mile box along the Irish Celtic Sea area. Then an international breakthrough in Sept. 2007 with Conor Ryan’s image of #HBIRL07 (NAHWC #04790)
In the summer of 1992 a dilapidated cottage near the southern tip of Dursey Island, on rugged Beara Peninsula, was purchased by a remarkable couple, Derek and Joanna Scott (below). They renovated it and over the next 30 years, it morphed into so much more than a home. “Scott’s Place” as it was known, became
During November IWDG hardly received a single whale sighting record……in fact an attempt at mapping all whale sightings for the first half of the month results in zero sightings and a completely blank map. What is odd is that November is historically a really good time, if not the best time, for large whale sightings