Humpback whales off the Irish Coast

Humpbacks return to Irish south coast

Tuesday, 16 July 2013 09:11

Humpback whale off Ling Rocks, Co.Cork, Ireland, on the 13th of July 2013

Rightly or wrongly, there is always a sense, regarding whales in Ireland that unless the activity been recorded in places like West Cork, West Kerry or elsewhere along the Irish south coast, that it doesn't really count.  So for instance last month we had confirmed humpback whale sightings northeast of Rockabill, Co. Dublin and the following day another sighting of what could easily have been the same individual, off the Isle of Man, some 50 miles to the northeast.

This growing trend of early season humpbacks occuring in the Irish Sea is of great interest and certainly merits further study. 

If we take an average over the past 10 years of all minke whale sighting records from 1st Jan- 15th July we get an average of 76 records for this period. So far in 2013 we have recorded 114 minke whale records, an increase of 50%.  Whether this increase reflects an actual increase in animals or an increase in observer effort due to brilliant weather, calm seas etc, remains unclear.

But one thing that was always predictable, was that with so many minke whales being recorded in southwest waters in particular, it was only going to be a matter of time before larger baleen whale species joined the action.  So there was a certain predictability to Nick Massett's fin whales off Slea Head, Co. Kerry last week. picture taken on Saturday 13th while angling off the Ling Rocks, southeast of the Old Head of Kinsale, Co. Cork. So as I type, we can confirm the Irish south coast is currently home to minke, fin and humpback whales.  

Pádraig Whooley

IWDG Sightings Coordinator