Rare sighting of humpback whales

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group has recorded the arrival of a newly documented humpback whale off the Cork coast, the first time the species has been recorded in the area at this time of year.

The animal (newly named as 'HBIRL20') was photographed and recorded on video along with another humpback whale by researchers aboard the MV Holly, a boat regularly used by the IWDG, off Toe Head, Co Cork, earlier this week.

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) feed in high latitude waters during the summer months, and can be found as far north as the Arctic Circle. Adult animals migrate south to warmer waters to breed and give birth in the winter.

IWDG’s Pádraig Whooley said the animals spotted off the Irish coast this week would be too young to migrate. One of the two whales spotted this week has remained in Irish waters for the winter and was sighted off Hook Head in January and February.

“They do seem to us to be small so they’re probably sub-adult or juveniles,” Mr Whooley said.

The IWDG has identified 20 humpback whales over the last 10 years but numbers in Irish waters remain low.

Due to over-hunting, the world’s humpback whale  population fell by an estimated 90 per cent before the introduction of whaling moratorium in 1966.

“We’re probably looking at a remnant population that would have been many, many, times bigger probably ten to 100 times bigger than it is today.

“Humpback whales were the whale species that were impacted on most by commercial whaling for the very same reason that they are easy to study,” Mr Whooley said.

“They’re inquisitive, they’re curious whales. They will approach boats, they’re slow moving, they hug the coast line. Species like that are very attractive if you’re a whaler rather than very fast moving species that are way out on the shelf edge and are very wary of boats.”

Despite their low numbers in Irish waters, the group has recorded an increase in the incidence of humpback whales off the Irish coast in recent years.

“The good news is that they are coming back. We are seeing more and more humpback whales every year. Despite the fact that we are starting from a very low base the numbers are quite positive at the moment. It is actually a good news story that we are seeing them more and more and we’re seeing them in new areas every year.

Details of a talk entitled "Whales and Dolphins of the East Coast and Beyond" which is taking place in Wicklow and Dublin over the coming days are available on the IWDG website.