Fishermen praised for saving dolphins

Fishermen were praised for helping to save a large number of common dolphins which stranded near Dingle, Co Kerry.

Some of the 70-strong pod had come ashore at Béal Bán, in Ballydavid Harbour, when they were observed by local lobster fishermen, Edward Moore, Declan Kennedy and Maurice Lynch who were setting out fishing after dawn.

Having raised the alarm, they jumped into the water and managed to get some of the dolphins out to sea before being joined by marine expert, Kevin Flannery.

“The dolphins were hunting mackerel which are plentiful now. We first got some of the bulls and the young calves out to sea, hoping the others would follow,” said Mr Flannery of Dingle Oceanworld.

He said the men sacrificed a day’s fishing, adding that all too often, fishermen did not get the praise they deserved for working to conserve marine species.

Meanwhile, a solitary bottlenose dolphin, called Clet, seen a number of times off West Cork over the summer, has turned up in Valentia Island, Co Kerry.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) repeated a warning to swimmers to be careful of Clet. “He is best left alone,” said the IWDG website.