Whale sightings helping eco-tourism to make a splash

It never fails to command attention — the awesome sight of a giant whale sticking its fluke out of the water, swinging it around and slapping the waves before disappearing again.

Most people only view the spectacle on television but more visitors are travelling to the south-west coast in the hope of observing these magnificent creatures close-up.

Eco-tourism is seen as having huge potential and some Cork and Kerry coastal areas are fast developing an international reputation for attracting various whale species.

This is a time of year when nature lovers head to the region to catch a glimpse of humpback and other whales and several sightings have been reported in recent weeks.

All of which follows separate reports, last week, of the discovery of significant dolphin numbers in Tralee and Brandon bays, resulting in calls for an extension of a Special Area of Conservation for dolphins from the Shannon Estuary into the bays.

As for whales, meanwhile, an early arrival was a humpback on Jul 27-28, off Clogher and Sybil Heads, in west Kerry. The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group confirmed the individual, spotted by Nick Massett over two days, had never previously been documented in Irish waters.

The tail was extremely white, with 90% white pigmentation which is not common in Irish waters.

Binoculars are essential for viewing whales and often need to be powerful for the whales are usually a good distance out to sea.

Around the same time as the humpback was seen off Kerry, at least 12 minke whales and more than 250 common dolphins were feeding in the same area.

“That’s world-class whale watching viewing,” commented IWDG sightings coordinator Padraig Whooley.

Some whales surface so far out at the sea that they cannot be seen from the shore.

For instance, a large group of fin whales was photographed by Gordon Kinsella of the Irish Naval Service vessel, LE Aisling, 210km offshore in the Porcupine area, 210km south-west of Mizen Head.

As in previous years, they were in an area where the international tuna fishing fleet were working and may have been following the same krill — small crustaceans — as the albacore tuna.

Indeed, the fishing fleet may be using whales to help in the search for tuna. It was under similar circumstances, in the same area and same time of year, blue whales were recorded and photographed in recent years, according to Mr Whooley.

Of course, whales are also seen in other areas, with a recent sighting of six minke near the pier at Kilcummin Head, Killala, Co Mayo.

There have also been several sightings of solitary minkes and a few pairs off the northern Irish coast in recent weeks. People are asked to report sightings to IWDG for validation on www.iwdg.ie.

The All-Ireland Whale Watch Day takes place next Sunday and IWDG volunteers will guide for free, land-based whale watches at 16 sites around the coast.

* See www.iwdg.ie.