WhaleTrack Ireland aims to determine what humpback whales do in Irish waters, where they come from and go to. This will be achieved by identifying migration patterns and important feeding areas in Irish waters using a variety of techniques. Individual whales will be identified using their unique markings from images through photo-identification with the help
IWDG encourage all citizen scientists to report sightings of large whales. IWDG will validate these records and use them to identify key area for humpback whales and other species such as fin whale. IWDG already have a large database of sightings but want to spread the recording, especially to areas which historically have suffered from
Biopsy sampling is a powerful tool to understand genetics, feeding ecology and threats caused by pollution. It involves firing a dart (under license) into the whale to collect a small plug of skin and blubber. The skin is used to determine the sex of the whale and can be compared to samples collected elsewhere to
Humpbacks whales sing. They are one of the few baleen whales to vocalise within our frequency range which makes them easier to record than other species. Although humpbacks have been tracked in deep water using bottom mounted hydrophones during their migration, only one attempt has been made to see if they vocalise on the inshore