Have whale of a time keeping watch

IRELAND, especially the south and west coasts, is now regarded among the best places in the world for watching whales, dolphins, sharks and many other large sea creatures.

If you’re lucky you can see these magnificent animals, which always look spectacular on TV documentaries, fairly close up.

According to the June report of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), the biggest variety of whales was sighted, at different times of course, in the Slea Head/Dingle Bay area of Co Kerry.

If you want to see whales be prepared to put in a lot of time watching from a clifftop, or headland. People who report sightings generally watch systematically during weather windows and it is that fact, rather than luck, that counts. Patience and a good set of binoculars are also essential.

The IWDG recorded 143 sightings of cetaceans (marine mammals such as whales, dolphins and porpoises), in June, comprising 10 species, including basking shark.

The bottlenose dolphin was the most frequently reported species, with 54 sightings, followed by harbour porpoise, 23. The minke whale came third in the rankings, followed by the common dolphin.

Padraig Whooley, of the IWDG, is confident the 143 sightings reflect cetacean activity in Irish inshore waters during June and represent a reasonable sample size. The fact that the highest number of sightings ever validated in June was a massive 315, in 2009, illustrates how big an influence the weather has on our ability to detect cetaceans.

He also believes a small number of sightings of basking sharks (five in June), is the result of poor weather. There were 20 sightings in March, and a peak of 49 was reached in April, with sharp drops in May and June. “We’d typically expect a May/June peak, and have never before recorded one in April, which is likely to have been as a result of the unusual heat wave conditions in March. Once again a high proportion of these late season shark sightings are from the east coast area, suggesting a clockwise movement in Irish waters,” Mr Whooley notes.

A nice flurry of minke and humpback shale was spotted, off south Dublin and the Kish Bank, in June, while mink activity was also observed off Fanore, Co Clare.

The highest whale diversity goes to the Slea Head/Dingle Bay area where Nick Massett recorded a minimum of three to four species, comprising killer, minke, humpback and a number of large whales that were likely to be fin whales.

The month’s largest dolphin sighting of 400 common dolphins was also recorded in this area, off Clogher Head, on Jun 10. But, the credit for seeing the biggest ‘blubber’ assembly goes to Andrew Malcolm who saw upwards of 16 fin whales off Ram Head, Ardmore, Co Waterford, on Jun 13. “This sighting and another on Jun 9 of six fin whales marks their arrival in inshore south coast waters, heralding the beginning of the 2012/’13 large whale season, only a few short months after the end of the 2011/’12 season,” says Mr Whooley.

Anybody with an interest in biological recording, who may have some time on their hands, own transport, access to a local headland, good optics and a sense of humour, is welcome to take part in the IWDG’s Constant Effort Sighting Scheme. See, www.iwdg.ie By the way, sightings of well-known dolphins, such as Fungi, which has been in Dingle for close on 30 years, and the dolphins that have been part of the scene in the Shannon Estuary from time immemorial, are not recorded. The estuary dolphins are monitored by the Shannon Dolphin Wildlife Fundation.

Meanwhile, on the 21st anniversary of the declaration of Irish waters as Europe’s first whale and dolphin sanctuary, the IWDG has announced a campaign to extend that status to all European waters.

In 1991, the then Taoiseach Charles Haughey declared such a sanctuary in recognition of the importance of Irish waters for these magnificent creatures. Now, the campaign is to establish a Pan-European whale and dolphin sanctuary.

The proposal aims to consolidate widespread protected areas around Europe into a safe,protected place for these incredibly mobile and often transient animals.

There are a number of small marine protected areas in Europe for cetaceans, including harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphins, and some international sanctuaries such as the Pelagos Sanctuary in the Mediterranean. These areas all have important roles to play, but cetaceans are mobile marine species and travel large distances.

The Environmental Pillar, an umbrella group of Irish organisations is supporting the campaign and an online petition has been organised. The IWDG hopes the campaign will help to place cetaceans, and the threats they face, on the political agenda and lead to more effective conservation policies across Europe.