A year in review 2013
As 2013 draws to a close, we reflect on another year of the IWDG, its 22 nd year. Each year I worry about how are we going to run the group, where is the funding coming from, will the IWDG achieve some of its potential? Well financially we are very strong and we have had plenty of stories to tell from the Bunratty dolphins to offshore beaked whales. We have had a large turnover due to our success in winning tenders, environmental impact assessments and surveys as well from membership, fundraising and courses.
As ever, the stranding and sighting schemes remain at the core of the IWDG, providing essential information on the distribution and abundance of cetaceans in Irish waters as well as identifying threats and conservation issues. This year's record number of strandings is of concern but whether this reflects increased recording, mortality or even abundance is unclear. The recovery of some common dolphins from Co. Mayo in March for post- mortem by specialist vets was welcome. This established fishing bycatch as the cause of death but the number of common dolphin stranding remained high through the year and cannot be attributed to fisheries interactions. IWDG will continue to identify unusual stranding events and lobby for a cetacean post- mortem programme in Ireland.
This year marks the first year's commitment to Celtic Mist. On receiving Celtic Mist the IWDG said it would give it three years, after which the group will critically review whether we can afford to run the vessel and if it is providing a useful service. The first year has been very successful with Celtic Mist circumnavigating the island of Ireland, over 250 members have sailed on her and she has broken even financially. Please do try and get out on Celtic Mist in 2014, she is a very stable and comfortable vessel and is great fun to be on, amongst whales and dolphins.
IWDG priorities next year are to continue to find ways of using the flow of information from the recording schemes to support conservation actions and raise awareness of the wealth of cetacean life in our seas. We hope the website upgrade will soon be complete and we can start to provide a more regular e-zine and other resources to members. We still have plenty of opportunities to become involved in different aspects of the IWDG so if interested please do get in touch. So thank you for your support, we are a membership based organisation and value your support. We wish to increase membership and strive to provide more benefits to members. Many thanks to the IWDG Board and to my fellow officers for their commitment and contribution to maintaining IWDG on course and under full sail.
Dr Simon Berrow IWDG Executive Officer
Sightings Review by Pádraig Whooley
Analysis of November 2013 sightings records
November is always an important month for cetacean recording in Ireland because statistically, in most years anyway, it is the month which produces the highest species diversity. It also often coincides with reasonable weather as high pressure can often become established after the Atlantics hurricane season (October) has blown itself out. So November can give us a good snap shot of activity around the country. We had a sense that this November was a busy month for cetacean sighting records, and now that the dust has settled we have time to review them. At a glance, this November 2013 has been the busiest on record with 166 validated sightings thus far. It’s important to bear in mind that this number is likely to increase as retrospective sightings and reports can be sent to us in the months/years ahead.
The graph shows the trend in number of sighting reports during all Novembers in the past decade. The ecological factors underpinning this increase are likely to be complex and varied, but given that >78% of these sightings are from the Southwest and Celtic Sea area, it’s hard to imagine that this boom in cetacean sightings isn’t somehow related to the increased availability of what they are feeding on; namely sprats and herring.
So who was seeing what around the country? Of the 166 records, 150 records were allocated to species level, with just 16 records (9.6%) downgraded to non-species category. As always, it’s important to remember that a % of those allocated to species category will have been upgraded, i.e. the recorder may not have known what species they were reporting, but still provided sufficient detail to satisfy IWDG on the thorny issue of “species identification”.
As with November 2012, fin whales were the most frequently observed species with 38 sightings representing 23% of all sightings during the month. In second place was their smaller cousin the minke whale with 36 sightings (21.7%). Perhaps not surprisingly the common dolphin, which are often in association with fin whales, were the 3 rd most frequently reported species with 30 sightings (18.1%). All six species confirmed are ranked on Table 1 below.
Table 1. Species No. Sightings % Fin whale 38 23 Minke whale 36 21.7 Common dolphin 30 18.1 Harbour porpoise 24 14.5 Humpback whale 11 6.6 Bottlenose dolphin 11 6.6
So that’s what’s been seen in summary during November…but where have they been seen? Well perhaps no great surprise that the majority of this November activity (78%) has been recorded along the Irish Southwest and south coast counties of Kerry, Cork and Waterford. One can argue that we just got lucky as the well-documented Cork peak in large whale sightings coincided nicely with an established “high pressure” weather system over the country, which brought very favourable whale watching conditions. But this is clearly not the full picture.
Two stand-out episodes in fact are from the opposite end of the country. On Nov 28 th Anne Kelly forwarded IWDG an increasingly common sighting record of a pod of 3-5 bottlenose dolphins off Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, with a short video clip. What she didn’t realise was that the footage contained compelling evidence that in among the bottlenose was a harbour porpoise, which was clearly having a rough time of it. You can guess the rest. But this is the first video evidence from Northern Ireland confirming this aggressive inter-species interaction. NIEA field-staff will likely have one less harbour porpoise to monitor during their monthly land-based watches!
The other episode was from the Northwest. Commencing on 16 th November there has been almost daily sighting of minke whales off the Bloody Foreland area of Co. Donegal, th courtesy of Gareth Doherty. This activity was recorded on 18 of 24 days between 16 Nov. to Dec. 9 th and on Nov 25 th seems to have peaked with a best estimate of 10 minke whales c300m south of Bloody Foreland Point. The mean group size recorded was 4-5 animals each day, with occasional bottlenose dolphin cameos thrown in for good measure. Interestingly, on some days Gareth watched from >1 site and he can confirm for instance that on Nov 26th there were 6 minkes at Curransport West of Magheraroarty, and at least 3 more off Brinlack Pt, south of Bloody Foreland. Clearly these couldn’t have been the same animals, suggesting that this run of minke whales was not confined to one location. But how widespread was it? In common with other prolonged episodes of rorqual activity, it seems the driver for this Donegal whale fest has been the presence of large herring aggregations. This is now the 2 nd consecutive year that minke whales have been recorded in this location and at this time of year. There is always the possibility that if this becomes something of an annual fixture in the area, that fin and/or humpback whales may want a piece of this northwest action. Let’s hope so.
Weather has completely broken down now with a remarkable temperature of 15 degrees Celsius recorded at Malin Head, Co. Donegal on Dec 12 th ….afraid such balmy weather at this time of year is invariably a bit of a poisoned chalice, as it can only get here when driven by moisture laden tropical winds. Not the sort of weather you’d be out whale watching in, and as a result December is unlikely to be as busy as November. But just because we can’t see them, doesn’t mean they’re not out there.
IWDG wish to thank all those “casual” recorders who are the back bone of the Irish cetacean recording scheme, for sending in your online records on www.iwdg.ie . And to the often unsung heroes who maintain regular, local effort watches, our knowledge and understanding of these magnificent animals would be greatly diminished, if it were not for your dedication and enthusiasm. Thank you from all of us in IWDG.
Strandings Review by Mick O'Connell
As you may remember, cetacean strandings (and especially those of common dolphins) were up significantly in January/February 2013 and due to the unusual number of strandings, the National Parks and Wildlife Service arranged for five common dolphins to be removed to Athlone for post mortem examination with a view to establishing cause of death. Findings of the post mortems were released and showed beyond doubt that all of the examined animals had died as a result of drowning having been bycaught in trawl-type fishing nets.
The big question at the time was whether the numbers of cetaceans stranded in Ireland would return to a more normal level after this apparently exceptional ‘blip’. With the benefit of hindsight, we can now say for certain that the trend in increasing numbers of reported strandings over the last three years has certainly continued – we’re not quite finished with 2013 yet but IWDG has already received a record 207 stranding records of 228 individual animals – by far the highest annual total on the IWDG Cetacean Strandings database.
The most frequently stranded cetacean reported is the common dolphin – there have been 71 confirmed stranding incidents of this species in 2013 – 34% of the total figure. It is interesting to note that while this figure has shown a significant increase, the percentage of total strandings has not changed hugely compared with the previous two years – in 2012 there were 49 (28%) records for stranded common dolphins and in 2011 there were 59 (36%). In 2013 we have also had 14 records identified as ‘common or striped dolphin’ and 14 records identified as ‘unidentified dolphin’ and many of these are likely to be common dolphins, bringing the likely true total for this species up to over 90.
Numbers for live strandings in 2013 are relatively high (and two weeks of the year still to come….) but as yet are not showing the same dramatic upward trend as ‘total’ strandings. With 27 received so far, the year is on a par with the previous high of 27 in 2007 (Fig. 2). Interestingly, strandings recorded on the coastal counties of Northern Ireland are up very much on other years. Four or five records from here would be anticipated per annum but so far we have received 13, including a rare live stranding of a sei whale at Red Bay, Co. Antrim on 14 September.
A somewhat unusual stranding occurred on Thursday 5 December. A number of reports came in of a cetacean live stranding at the Bull Island, Co. Dublin. By all accounts the animal was in very poor condition but descriptions varied from 'harbour porpoise' to 'beaked whale'. While we did have some longer distance photos, it was only on the following morning that a photo sent by Eamonn Farrell of Photocall Ireland confirmed identification. With its blunt head and very distinctive underslung 'shark-like' lower jaw, we were looking at the first pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps ever recorded stranded on the east coast and only the eighth recorded stranding of this species in Ireland, with the first record coming from Lahinch, Co. Clare in 1966. The whale was in very bad condition for a live animal and died. When Isabel Baker of the IWDG Stranding Network searched for the animal on Friday, it had already been buried by the local council so any chance of figuring out what had caused this live stranding was lost.
Outside of the ‘cetacean’ area, November saw a brief spell of turtle activity on the Irish coast! On 9 November the decomposed remains of a leatherback turtle were found at Muiríoch, Co. Kerry and on the following day another decomposed carcass of a leatherback was found at the other end of the country, at Magheraroarty, Co. Donegal. On 19 November, a live (but chilly!) 600mm loggerhead turtle was found at Seafield, Quilty, Co. Clare. The turtle, which was called Leon, was suffering from a bacterial infection and was taken to Galway Atlantaquaria for rehabilitation.
As always, IWDG would like to acknowledge the interest of the people who took the time to report strandings, the enthusiasm of the members of the stranding network who go out of their way to check out the strandings and the DAHG for their support for the stranding scheme in 2013.
Celtic Mist Review by Deirdre Slevin
In 2011, when IWDG accepted the very generous offer of Celtic Mist, it was agreed to take on the vessel as a 3 year project. Following a year undergoing a major refit in Kilrush boatyard, the newly renovated steel hulled ketch was officially launched by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group in 2012, as a suitable vessel for marine research and surveying.
Celtic Mist has had a very successful first year – 2013, observing 12 of the 24 species of whales and dolphins recorded in Irish waters, circumnavigating Ireland surveying the waters of all coastal counties. Leatherback turtle, grey and common seals, yellow finned tuna and sunfish were among the marine life observed throughout the year. Celtic Mist visited 9 of the 17 coastal counties in Ireland this year, Clare, Kerry, Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow, Dublin, Antrim and Donegal. Financially Celtic Mist has successfully supported herself through various funding, donations, projects and sponsorships and broken close to even after year one which is an excellent achievement for such a new project. Also over 250 of our members have sailed on Celtic Mist in our first year.
In January 2012 Celtic Mist sailed to New Ross in County Wexford where she spent the following months providing IWDG members with the opportunity to observe whales and dolphins on their new vessel during ‘large whale season’ off the Hook Peninsula. Members arrived from all over the country for this opportunity, from as far away as Sligo! Common dolphins and fin whales were observed most days by the excited crew, while keeping warm with the vessels central heating and the ‘always on’ kettle!
In April once the whales had moved on, we took Celtic Mist into dry dock in New Ross Boatyard for a routine ultra sound following the refit and some annual maintenance including touching up the paint work! Celtic Mist returned to water in good shape in May and sailed to Fenit, County Kerry with a crew of 8 members. On route the crew were accompanied by common dolphins, hundreds of jellyfish and many sunfish and visited Kinsale and Beare Island before safely arriving in Fenit to a warm Kerry welcome.
During May Dr Simon Berrow and our conservation officer Dr Joanne O’Brien worked with the local community in Fenit and North Kerry to survey and record dolphins and other cetaceans in Tralee and Brandon bays to build a better understanding of how they use the bays. In addition to the surveys 3 CPODS were deployed across the bays to acoustically monitor the area for dolphins. The bottlenose dolphin population is around 120 to 140 individuals, the Shannon is protected for bottlenose dolphins but Tralee and Brandon bays are not. Since day one of the project, which was funded by North and East Kerry Development, the team encountered bottlenose dolphins on every trip, photo-id established them to be Shannon dolphins. Celtic Mist proved an excellent platform for this survey and many local members in North Kerry were able to sail on Celtic Mist and experience them for themselves.
During the summer months, Celtic Mist sailed to Rathlin Island to attend their annual maritime festival. The weather wasn’t kind to the crew en route but the beautiful scenery of Rathlin Island ahead in the distance at sunset was a welcome sight! Basking sharks and bottlenose dolphins were sighted during the 3 day trip despite poor sea conditions. The friendly islanders on Rathlin gave the crew a warm welcome, sharing stories about the wildlife on the island including the famous ‘golden hare’ and of sightings of whales and dolphins in the area.
Celtic Mist departed Rathlin Island and Ballycastle after the festival sailing south, visiting Peel, Isle of Man and Kilmore Quay en route and returned to New Ross, County Wexford once again. The following two weeks of high winds provided us with an opportunity for more maintenance and renovations which included a full engine service for both the main engine and the RIB.
In June, Celtic Mist sailed to Wexford town for the John Barry Maritime Festival organised by Wexford RNLI. Celtic Mist, along with the Customs Cutter and the HMS charger were greeted at the Wexford ‘bar buoy’ at the entrance to the harbour by Wexford RNLI and Rosslare lifeboat and guided safely into the quayside to join the festivities and promote the work of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and give local members the opportunity to visit their new vessel. On departing Wexford after the weekend, Risso’s dolphins guided Celtic Mist around Tuskar Lighthouse for hours giving the crew a rare opportunity to witness their behaviour.
Celtic Mist set sail once again in July, this time destination Dun Laoghaire! The crew visited Arklow on route and were overwhelmed by the welcome they received from Arklow RNLI, they certainly made sure Celtic Mist and the IWDG team would call again! On route to Dun Laoghaire bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoise were observed by the crew. Celtic Mist spent the following two weeks taking members out to survey Harbour Porpoise in the newly proposed Special Area of Conservation.
On the 16 th of July the launch of the IWDG’s Offshore Atlas took place on board Celtic Mist with Minister Jimmy Deenihan.
A few days later Celtic Mist departed Dun Laoghaire as part of The Gathering Cruise 2013, where 14 IWDG members enjoyed the opportunity of two ‘week long trips’ from Dun Laoghaire to Kinsale and Kinsale to Dingle. IWDG sponsored The Gathering Cruise, providing sighting forms and species ID guides to all the boats sailing as part of the cruise and promoted whales and dolphins in Irish waters are they visited ports in each county en route. The crew were delighted to win a prize at the welcome home party for ‘the best dressed boat’! IWDG members on the trip thoroughly enjoyed their week onboard, taking in the beautiful scenery of the Irish coastline and making new friends with fellow members sharing many laughs and stories to look back on, as they shared all the sailing, cooking and cleaning duties onboard.
Celtic Mist spent August back in Fenit with our Kerry members, who simply couldn’t do enough to accommodate the IWDG team while completing the survey of the bays for bottlenose dolphins before preparations began for her offshore MMO/PAM trip. The annual offshore cruise was again a very successful trip recording eight species of marine mammals including rare species of beaked whales.
Celtic Mist returned to Kilrush in October, where Dr. Simon Berrow organised a marine research survey with GMIT over a 4 day period in the Shannon, the course was successful with sightings of bottlenose dolphins daily. Finally the weather turned for the worse which hampered our hopes to do day trips on the Shannon for IWDG members, in particular local members that had helped IWDG with Celtic Mist during the refit.
Once the seas had finally calmed some weeks later, the large whales had arrived in West Cork so we took the opportunity to take Celtic Mist to Baltimore, where members observed harbour porpoise, common dolphins, fin whales and a humpback whale in the area.
Two days were spent filming with Ken Sullivan of Sea Fever Productions, who is preparing a programme on dolphins for RTE. The programme will include a piece on research on Common Dolphins being carried out by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group in the Celtic Sea.
As the high winds and stormy seas continue, Celtic Mist remains safe and sound in Kinsale Marina. Once the weather calms down, the team will take her to New Ross, County Wexford once again for large whale season in the southeast. Members are invited to join us onboard in County Wexford in search of cetaceans in January. We look forward to sailing with you all in the New Year surveying whales and dolphins in Irish waters.
Celtic Mist schedule for 2014 will be emailed to all members early in the New Year and will also be available on our website www.celticmist.info
We would like to thank everyone that has helped us out throughout the year. The support and friendliness of the Irish people has been fantastic.
In particular we would like to thank all the voluntary skippers amongst our members, without whom, none of this would have been possible. Your time and knowledge is invaluable to us.
We would also like to thank Kilrush Creek Marina, Fenit Marina, Baltimore harbour, Kinsale Marina, Dun Laoghaire Marina and last but certainly not least New Ross Marina for their support and generosity to the IWDG, we have been made feel welcome with each and every one of you and appreciate this immensely.
Wishing you a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
IWDG Membership
IWDG have launched a membership campaign for 2013 and would like to encourage all our members to help us promote our work and recommend becoming a member to all your family and friends.
What does membership offer?
Apart from supporting our conservation work, IWDG membership has other benefits. You will receive:
1. IWDG News: our e-zine and special access to members only area on our website 2. Monthly group email updates and local reports on strandings and sightings of interest in your area 3. Discounts on all IWDG events, weekends and training workshops. 4. Reduced rates on IWDG publications: sighting reviews, posters and more 5. Opportunities to take part in IWDG research cruises and fieldwork 6. An opportunity to join like-minded people interested in marine conservation. 7. Advice on whale-watching and related topics
Available Options
Normal/Waged Membership - €30
Student/Unwaged/OAP Membership - €20
Family Membership - €40
Corporate Membership - €150
Conservation Review by Joanne O'Brien
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group will participate on the “Cetacean on the Frontier Cruise” with the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), early in 2014. This will be the fifth time this dedicated cetacean survey has taken place onboard the R.V. Celtic Explorer, supported under the Marine Institutes competitive Ship-time scheme. This years team of scientists and students from the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Birdwatch Ireland, University College Cork, Queens University Belfast, Université de La Rochelle, and University of Aberdeen will aim to carry out a variety of scientific investigations along the continental shelf.
Primarily, the survey is focused on recording the distribution and abundance of cetaceans through visual and acoustic techniques. Records will also be taken of all other megafauna encountered such as turtles, sharks, tuna or sunfish.
If the opportunity arises or weather permits, the IWDG RIB “Muc Mhara” will be launched to try to gather biopsy samples from cetaceans encountered. These samples can be used for genetic and pollutant analyses and give vital information on our offshore species which are often hard to encounter. We will also deploy C-PODs (acoustic devices) close to the continental shelf to record dolphin species in the area over the survey period.
A dedicated seabird team from Birdwatch Ireland will record the distribution and abundance of seabirds encountered. Additionally, a micro-plastics team from GMIT will filter seawater whilst the ship is underway as the presence of such is recognised as an environmental pollutant with our understanding of its effect on organisms still limited. During night-time hours, a dedicated phytoplankton and zooplankton team will take over and carry out vertical hauls with specialised nets as these tiny organisms form the basis of the food chain which supports larger predators such as cetaceans and seabirds. Additionally the night-time team will generate CTD profiles of the water column, by collecting temperature and salinity recordings at various depths. This collection of various datasets is extremely important to piece together what is happening in these offshore ecosystems, and will contribute towards Ireland meeting requirements of the EU Habitats and Birds Directives aiming to ensure the effective conservation of these important offshore ecosystems. Keep an eye on the IWDG website for a link to the survey blog.
Welfare Review by Paul Kiernan
In October 2012 the IWDG expanded its remit to include, among other areas, the science of cetacean welfare. Throughout 2013 we have worked to define the role of welfare within the IWDG. So what do we mean by ‘welfare’ and what work has been done in 2013 to include welfare as a concern in the work of the IWDG?
Animal welfare is a relatively new scientific discipline but is increasingly recognised as one of the most important considerations in the treatment of companion, domestic and wild animals. Put simply, the welfare of any animal is a measure of how that animal is coping in the environment in which it lives. Animal welfare is measured on a scale ranging from good to poor. Welfare is good when the animal is coping well in its environment. And welfare is poor when the animal is failing to cope in the environment in which it lives. If an animal is failing to cope in its environment it will manifest in a compromised mental state, physical state and/or naturalness – ability to express natural behaviours. Therefore, it is important that we ensure the welfare of all animals with which we interact is considered and protected. While this concept seems quite simple, the challenge is quantifying the welfare of an animal scientifically, i.e. without subjectivity.
Animal welfare is closely related but separate to the science of conservation. Welfare is distinct from conservation in that welfare science addresses impacts which affect the individual animal, whereas conservation science addresses impacts which affect the population or species. For example, live- stranding affects the individual animal and is therefore considered a welfare concern, whereas habitat destruction affects the population and is considered a conservation concern. However, welfare and conservation are inextricably linked.
That which benefits the welfare of an individual directly benefits the conservation of the population as it contributes to the survival and persistence of that individual and therefore the success of the population. It is because of these factors that the IWDG have decided to include welfare as an area of concern.
The initial consideration when beginning the role of welfare officer was to define our position on welfare. To do this we began by developing a welfare policy document to identify the welfare concerns relevant to Irish cetacean populations and to outline the IWDG position including guidelines and recommendations for each welfare impact. This document was completed in November 2013 and submitted for review to IWDG directors and officers. The IWDG have applied to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for funding under their Animal Welfare Grant Scheme and if successful the funding will be used to publish the welfare policy document.
A significant welfare concern requiring immediate attention following the Baltimore Fin Whale Stranding in August 2012 was the issue of live-stranding of large whales. The main consideration was the correct use or non-use of euthanasia in such situations. In September 2013 I attended an International Whaling Commission (IWC) Workshop on Euthanasia in Large Whales held in London, UK. The workshop was attended by international experts from around the world and the findings of the workshop were used to inform the IWDG Welfare Policy Document and the IWDG submission to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and Defence Forces regarding euthanasia in live-stranded cetaceans.
The IWDG are keenly aware of the importance of exposure at relevant trade shows and events. The IWDG have been offered two excellent opportunities to speak at relevant shows and events in 2014. The Irish Film Institute (IFI) is showing the recent and controversial ‘Blackfish’ documentary as part of their education programme in January 2014. As part of their programme they have requested representation from the IWDG. I have agreed to attend the screening and speak about the work of the IWDG, the meaning of welfare and the welfare concerns identified in the documentary. The IWDG will also be represented at the Irish Dive Show 2014 by Deirdre Slevin and I. We have been offered an opportunity to speak at this show which will give excellent exposure to the work of the IWDG.
2014 promises to be a busy year for welfare. We are intending to review and update a number of IWDG publications to include welfare considerations. The first publication identified for review is Face to Face with a Beached Whale. We will be keeping all members updated throughout 2014 on all events and publication updates. And we welcome any questions or input from members on cetacean welfare issues.
Launch of the Offshore Atlas by Dave Wall, Ship Surveys Officer
2013 saw the launch of the IWDG Atlas of the Distribution and Relative Abundance of Marine Mammals in Irish Offshore Waters. The atlas presents the results of six years of offshore surveys conducted by IWDG surveyors and ferry survey volunteers between 2005 and 2011. Data was gathered during 1,078 days at sea, with 5000 hours of survey effort conducted. 3,300 sightings of 21 species of marine mammals, totalling 35,000 animals were used to prepare the most comprehensive and up-to-date maps of the distribution and abundance of cetaceans in Irish and Northern Irish waters to date.
The Atlas may be purchased from IWDG or downloaded as a PDF here .
Our programme of successful Ferry Surveys has continued on three routes across the Irish Sea. Surveys on the Rosslare to Pembroke and Dublin to Holyhead routes continue with support from our colleagues at Irish Ferries. Our new route from Belfast to Cairnryan with Stenaline Ferries has been a great success with a warm welcome received from the on-board crews and regular sightings of porpoises on the new route. We thank the ongoing dedication of our volunteer route coordinators and the dozens of volunteer surveyors who ensure the continuing success of these surveys.
Offshore survey effort was also continued in 2013, though at a reduced scale due to an ongoing lack of funding for offshore cetacean monitoring in Irish waters. IWDG supplied volunteer surveyors on four offshore surveys on board R.V. Celtic Explorer in 2013. The surveys targeted were identified by the IWDG and GMIT in 2011 as priority surveys for ongoing monitoring. IWDG will continue its efforts to cover these priority surveys in 2014, while working towards obtaining funding for a comprehensive ongoing monitoring programme for Irish and Northern Irish offshore waters.
Following an extensive programme of data entry in 2013, the IWDG plans to submit its offshore survey database to the National Biodiversity Data Centre (NBDC) by the end of the year. This will enable the public, for the first time, to explore the IWDG’s offshore data set via the NBDC data mapping portal.
Data from the IWDG Ship Surveys Programme has been utilised extensively in 2013 for providing input to a number of consultations on offshore development. IWDG data has also been used by the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland for in their assessment of Marine Protected Areas in Northern Irish Waters and by the Irish National Parks and Wildlife Service for reporting to the EU on the Favourable Conservation Status of cetaceans in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone.
MMO Review by Patrick Lyne
Well 2013 was a busy year for offshore industry and 2014 will be busier. With several companies looking to perform seismic surveys in 2014 and again the Porcupine Bight will be the centre of activity. It is worrying that the Porcupine Bight was excluded from the ban in seismic surveys applied to the rest of the shelf edge for the government ENI 2D survey. The recent sightings of two groups of beaked whales in the North East Porcupine by the Celtic Mist in September serves to underline the lack of knowledge of Ireland’s offshore environment and the importance of having a vessel that can be dedicated to cetacean surveys 12 months of the year. Most cetacean surveys in Ireland, while all very welcome are concentrated in February and March. This is when demand for vessel time is low but when sightings are most difficult due to poor weather and light, and animal abundance is thought to be lowest.
It is now difficult to know when proper baseline surveys can be planned for the summer months as Irish waters begin to get busier. In 2012 the Celtic Mist found Blue whales in the Porcupine Bight only to see a seismic survey run in virtually the same place at the same time the following year. I requested the regulator allow the IWDG have access to the environmental reports prior to the licence being granted but was refused. I have since pointed out that I believe this apart from being contrary to best practice, is to my understanding not legal under the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act 1960, section 13A .
It is not that I or the IWDG wish to stop offshore development but merely wish to see it carried out in line with established best practice, which is currently not the case. I am not sure the various regulators really understand the issues or what is required of them and when offshore development was limited this was not a major concern. However as the government is committed to making the most of Ireland’s offshore potential and interest is currently high in oil and gas exploration and set to develop rapidly in wind and tidal energy, a more considered approach is urgently needed.
The last seismic survey in the Porcupine Bight reported 12 sightings of 16 blue whales with at least 7 different individuals photographed. Proper regulation would have ensured this survey was carried out when these rare and endangered animals were not present from April to July. Currently I am very concerned that there is effectively no environmental regulation offshore Ireland and we are completely reliant on individual companies to do the right thing, hopefully in 2014 they will.
Deilfeanna ar Éadrá
le Padraic De Bhaldraithe, Irish language Officer
Dé Domhnaigh 24 Samhain 2013, tháinig suas le 13 dheilf choiteann i dtír idir an Cartúr agus an Fód Dubh ar an Muirthead, Co. Mhaigh Eo. Is cosúil go raibh roinnt de na hainmhithe ábalta dul ar snámh arís san uisce éadomhain agus gur thug muintir na háite cúnamh do chuid eile díobh dul ar snámh. Bhí an chuma ar an ngrúpa deilfeanna go raibh máithreacha agus laonna ina measc, agus ar a laghad trí lao bheaga san áireamh. Bhí soc míchumtha (an giall uachtair) ar cheann de na hainmhithe (féach fótagraf in alt Fergus Sweeney).
An lá dar gcionn (25 Samhain) fuarthas baineannach fásta i gCuan Oilí agus bhí lao an-bheag san uisce gar don láthair – níor chonacthas an lao ina dhiaidh sin, ach bhí an chuma air, ó thaobh méid de, gur lao diúil a bhí ann agus nach mairfeadh sé. Níos deireanaí an lá céanna tháinig baineannach fásta agus lao i dtír agus drochbhail orthu agus cuireadh chun báis iad (go daonnachtúil). Ar an 26 Samhain, fuarthas péire baineannach fásta eile agus lao fireannach básaithe ar an trá, tháinig péire fásta eile agus lao i dtír ach cuireadh ar snámh iad ach tháinig siad i dtír arís anocht.
Ar chúis(eanna) éigin triomaítear deilfeanna go minic sa cheantar seo agus iad ina mbeatha. Taispeánann taifid an IWDG 34 taifead de thriomú beo i gContae Mhaigh Eo agus 17 gcinn díobh sin ó cheantar an Mhuirthead. Is iad na deilfeanna coiteanna nó deilfeanna stríocacha na speicis is minicí a thuairiscítear agus go minic bíonn níos mó ná ainmhí amháin i gceist.
Northern Ireland
Officer Suzanne Beck
Suzanne Beck is Northern Ireland Officer. She is a postgraduate research student at Queens University Belfast studying the acoustic environment and presence of cetaceans around the Inishowen Peninsula. Suzanne is representing IWDG on the Northern Ireland Marine Task Force, she is working with Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry to try and prevent government cuts closing the facility.
Suzanne worked with our conservation officer Joanne O’Brien on the EPA funded Ocean Noise Project at GMIT. She is looking into the possibility of organising whale and dolphin watching weekends on Rathlin Island in 2014. Suzanne is currently in New Zealand at the International Marine Mammal Symposium 2013
Live Stranding Training by Conor Ryan and Sibeal Regan
After the IWDG received another Department of Agriculture grant this year to support the delivery of four live-stranding courses, Conor Ryan and Vivi Bolin took the Galway-based rescue pontoons on tour. We ran two courses at Hook Head, Co. Wexford and another at Salthill Atlantaquaria in Co. Galway. Both venues were generously provided free of charge and for this, we are extremely grateful to Anne Waters and Kevin O’Hara.
So far this year, we have trained 32 people in live-stranding first aid and re-floatation techniques and we hope to deliver more similar courses. As always, we are looking for new ways to raise funds to help us buy more pontoon sets. If you have any fundraising ideas please email [email protected]
Although a pricey €5000 each, more are needed for the Northwest and Southeast to ensure that the IWDG has sufficient coverage to re-float Cetaceans right around the coast.
Conor Ryan IWDG
St. Raphael’s College Live Stranding course with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group
Hello my name is Sibéal Regan from St. Raphael’s College in Loughrea, I am currently a Transition Year Student and like many other people, I have a keen interest and love for all marine mammals in our waters. I am also a member of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. I have wanted to take part in a live stranding course with the IWDG for quite some time, but being a student I wasn’t able to drive to the locations where they were taking place.
That’s when I thought it would be a good group activity to do with my transition year class, so I emailed Dr. Simon Berrow to see if it was possible to hold a live stranding course in our local Aquarium in Galway. It wasn’t long after I got the ok from Simon that I emailed Dr. Conor Ryan from the IWDG and Kevin O’Hara from the Galway Atlantaquaria.
After many emails back and forth we finally found a date that suited everyone; Thursday the 7 th of February. I was ecstatic! Now all I had to do was convince my slightly doubtful classmates to go. To my surprise, it wasn’t as hard as I had originally thought it would be. When we arrived at the aquarium and everyone met Vivi and Conor, everyone including myself instantly became absorbed in the presentation; it covered some of the issues that might cause a whale or dolphin to strand and how to identify different dolphins and whales.
This was very enjoyable as everyone was trying to guess the species of the dolphin pictured on screen. When we finished the theory side of the course we all headed down to the slip in Salt Hill were Conor and Vivi were waiting with a very realistic long finned pilot whale. This was very enjoyable and funny, as we all had to get stuck in and try and roll the 2 ton pilot whale onto the pontoon without anyone hurting the possibly very distressed whale. After reassuring some curious people from the public that we weren’t working on a real whale, just a very realistic life sized inflatable, we were able to successfully re float our pilot whale.
I am very happy that I contacted Simon and Conor about doing the live stranding course because it has given everyone the opportunity to try something different. Despite the original doubts of my classmates, they really got a pleasant surprise. I would definitely recommend doing a course like this or indeed, doing a project on the work of the IWDG, to any other student with an interest in what these brilliant people do. You should try it, you never know, you too could be pleasantly surprised.
Sibéal Regan
IWDG Member
The Gathering Cruise July 2013 on-board Celtic Mist by Sean T. Rickard, IWDG Member
Going aboard the Celtic Mist for the Gathering Cruise was a very rewarding experience. It was great to actually walk on deck as some of us had only last seen her among the stocks, spending many mundane hours repairing and preparing her for sea in the year before she was relaunched as IWDG flag vessel. Once again, we were poised to the task at hand of familiarizing ourselves with the vessel under power and finally venturing in search of cetaceans. It was satisfying to know that all of our voluntary hard work had paid off and we were now going to be a part of an adventurous cruise off the beautiful south west coast of Ireland.
The crew arrived one by one over the afternoon and late evening. After being assigned bunks and storing gear we set to work insuring everything was ready for sea. The crew consisted of a range of IWDG members; a primary school teacher, a lecturer, a historian, an union representative, an IT specialist and a teenage lad along with the mate and skipper. The interesting mix of people, some with razor wit provided great moments of sporadic laughter throughout the cruise. We got to know new members of the IWDG coming aboard for the first time and indeed met some old acquaintances from our time repairing the vessel at Kilrush during the refit.
The following morning we had an early start and the skipper topped-up on diesel before heading to sea. Out we ventured passing the impressive 16 th century Charlesfort. Soon after, we ventured towards the forlorn vessel that had gone on the rocks a day earlier and then onwards under glorious skies towards Glandore. After several hours along the beautiful coast we landed at Glandore. We were greeted with several sailing vessels taking part in the Glandore Classic Regatta. There were several classic beautiful vessels moored in the harbour. What a peaceful place with very pleasant people. We made anchor and went ashore and took part in the conclusion to the local festivities, which included a delicious BBQ and prize giving marking that marked end of the wonderful regatta on a wonderful day.
The next morning we sailed to Baltimore, as I walked down the quayside one evening so rare, I had the good fortune to meet a generous fisherman on board a fishing boat landing its catch. The crew were busy on deck gutting fish and I made inquiries as to the purchase of some fish. The fisherman very generously gave me a bag of fish at a very modest price, which I fed most of our pescatarian crew the following day.
In Baltimore, I met some old acquaintances and had a wonderful time chatting them at a local watering- hole. The summer evening was delightful and I followed the setting sun over the waterfront laden with vessels anchored. The next leg of our trip was from Baltimore to Knightstown, Valentia Island. From Valentia we would then have only a short trip to Dingle if the weather proved severe which it promised. However, this meant cancelling the layover in Beare Island and an opportunity to search for cetaceans. We departed Baltimore and shortly afterwards, we were accompanied by a pod of common dolphins. It was a wonderful sight to sea. They followed us for some time before going the separate ways. It was rewarding to see cetaceans at this distance from the shore. We took photos and naturally logged the position on the computer, which has a special app for cetacean sightings.
On this leg of the journey we had passed and were passing some very interesting offshore islands and they’re inhabitants. Bull Rock with it’s arch was indeed a sight to see. Indeed, the whole journey was a magnificent vista of nature, particularly of the feathered kind. We arrived a day early in the beautiful Valentia ahead of the weather. The day was spent exploring the magnificent island, some of us on bicycles some on foot. There was a marvellous tranquil feel to the place, with wonderful fragrant air, wild plants and stunning vistas of the mountains and the sea. We went in search of curiosities such as the tetrapod rocks dated at 385 million years, the old lighthouse and the Coast Guard Station. During this part of the journey we got sup supplies the remaining cruise. The following day we went in search of cetaceans. Several other boats had joined us too at Valentia in anticipation of the weather and the night was spent in telling sea-yarns with our mates of the sea.
The final leg of the Gathering Cruise was a short run from Valentia to Dingle; the weather was breaking and we awoke to very showery day. We made ready for sea and took our departure. The uncomfortable swell had returned and the heavens opened up. After so much good weather it was great to legitimize carrying the raingear as it was sorely needed. We raised our mizzen, but motored the short distance journey some hours away. Fungi faithfully greeted us as we entered Dingle Bay. Though the weather had turned disagreeable in the end, we all enjoyed an eventful and interesting Gathering Cruise. I would recommend anyone who has a spirit for adventure and can make a trip, to sign up for an adventure off the shores of Ireland. Who knows what one might see?
Celtic Mist MMO/PAM research trip September 2013 By Lucy Hunt, IWDG Member
To say I was excited was an understatement. Exactly one year previous I had been on the Celtic Mist and had one of the best trips in my career as a marine biologist offshore and in my life, as we had fantastic encounters with the largest animals on earth; blue whales and 10 other species of marine mammals! The Celtic Mist was docked in Fenit marina, a crew of eight IWDG members met at Fenit marina and stocked the vessel for the week then proceeded to the West End bar for fish and chips and an ice breaker pint. We were all very excited and discussed last year’s trip and endless possibilities for the trip this time. The weather was not looking in our favour to start the week but getting better middle of the week before turning against us again later in the week so everyone had decided to take some tablets to help prevent illness before we left. We retired to our bunks early with great expectations and anticipation for what the next week would bring.
DAY 1 We departed around midday on Sunday to catch the tides around Brandon head. Sailing past Fenit and looking at the large statue of St. Brendan the navigator pointing out to sea, encouraged us to go forth and explore even if the weather was not very inviting, we were facing into a grey day, choppy seas and fresh winds. However rounding Brandon Head the crew perked up when we had our first sighting and were accompanied by over twenty bottlenose dolphins including one calf, they all swam alongside splashing and playing in the waves. Their large robust grey bodies had many raking marks on them usually a sign of mating or fighting with other dolphins. Some of these dolphins seen at Brandon Head are associated with the resident Shannon bottlenose dolphins which were identified on a previous trip from fin photo-id. As the sea conditions deteriorated, a decision was made to go for some respite in Smerwick harbour for the night so people could get a good rest and be ready for another longer day at sea in similar conditions headed directly for the Goban Spur at the Porcupine Bight, located 120 miles SW of Kerry. We moored up in sheltered waters and after a nice meal those of us not on watch went to our bunks to get as much sleep in before our hourly night watch and early start in the morning. Day 2 We were up at 4am to be ready to leave Smerwick harbour at first light and get a good start for our passage to the continental shelf where the depth sloped off to over 1000m and large whales were expected. The day was mild but again started out choppy with lumpy seas, making people slightly off colour but as we passed through the Blasket Sound and reached Dingle Bay the sun broke through the clouds and we were offered protection from the winds and thankfully calmer waters. On passing Great Blasket we noticed how the golden sandy beach was black, covered with breeding grey seals. The Blasket Islands are well known for the local population of seals and visiting grey seals from Scotland and the British isles during breeding season at the end of summer staying until Spring time. Once the crew all had their sea legs we began surveying. As we passed out of Dingle Bay we were accompanied by common dolphins. Making our way through the Skellig islands we watched as the gannets loomed around Little Skellig which was whitened by their guano and surrounded in a cacophony of their calls from and to their nesting site. Common dolphins appeared on numerous occasions during our transit to the shelf from group sizes of one dolphin to thirty, they came to play in our wake, swim alongside and bow ride. We could actually hear them whistling through the hull of the boat and above the surface of the water. One of the crew members who had taken to the bunk came on deck wondering was he hearing things or could he actually hear the dolphins through the boat! We were surrounded by dolphins and they were all communicating with high pitched whistles that could clearly be heard through the air and the vessel, a fantastic experience. We were looking forward to getting the Passive Acoustic monitoring equipment in the water to see what else we could hear. Before the close of the day we were very lucky to see two sunfish and a large leather back turtle breathing at the surface. Leatherbacks are one of the largest turtle species in the world and this guy was huge with plenty of big barnacles attached to show its age! As night descended we watched our first sunset at sea accompanied by common dolphins again. Throughout the night we took two hour watches with another crew member keeping the course to the Goban spur. Night watch was exciting as we had common dolphins swimming and whistling alongside the boat and as they moved we could see the green phosphorescence illuminating their streamlined bodies creating a transcendental shimmering effect in the water. Also on our watch we were graced by 1000s of herring jumping clear out of the water and creating waves of fish around the boat, obviously being chased by something bigger from the depths below. Signs that there was plenty of food around for bigger animals made me eager to see what the dawn would bring. Day 3 On waking in the morning we were over the 1000m contour of the shelf edge with much calmer seas and lighter winds. Once light allowed we were able to get a glimpse of the first big whale blows of the trip. Accompanied by common dolphins we sailed in that direction and saw three large fin whales. From then on we had over twenty sightings of marine mammals, mostly common dolphins but we also had some very close encounters with fin whales. After deploying the Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) equipment to listen to the communication clicks and whistles of the whales and dolphins one fin whale surfaced astern of the boat less than 20m away! We were worried that it might have gobbled up the hydrophone cable which was trailing 100m behind the boat! But all was intact and we were receiving some clear coverage of marine mammal communications on the PAM equipment. Another sunfish was spotted at the surface waving its pectoral fin as if to say hello! We were lucky enough again to witness the silver waves of herring above the surface of the water like a choreographed dance. Later in the day we observed these live silver waves in the distance with a lot of splashing and it was obvious they were being chased by bigger animals which we all thought dolphin species, however we observed the erratic movements and very different shape as we made our way closer. Once we approached the bait ball which was a couple of 100m wide we saw what these strange fast moving erratic species were, I shouted ‘ tuna’; very big yellowfin tuna jumping out of the water and chasing the herring! It was like watching something on National Geographic only we were immersed in it. I was thrilled to have seen such an amazing sight and did a little dance on board very similar to what I had done the year previous when we spotted blue whales! Having the opportunity to witness these events in our own waters is really special and to have seen this tuna feeding activity was definitely a highlight of the trip so far. We watched a beautiful sunset and remarked on how the weather was so warm whilst eating our dinner on deck in shorts and t shirts. Day 4 Waking to calm water and good survey conditions and again large whale blows on the horizon had us all in good form for the day to see some large whales. Also throughout the night on PAM sperm whale clicks were detected in some deeper areas and we were hopeful that we may see the whale that was made legendary by Hermann Melvilles Moby Dick. Fin whales were the main species seen whilst surveying and on heading North towards some blows we had seen we were very lucky to have an encounter with some beaked whales which swam alongside. There were three of them within 10m of the boat and photos were taken. It was an extremely exciting time as beaked whales are seldom seen let alone photographed, with the photographs it was hoped we could determine species and this is currently being scrutinized by beaked whale experts to determine which Mesoplodon species either a Trues or Gervais beaked whale. Such a close encounter was definitely a once in a lifetime experience with these coy cetaceans. When we reached the area where the blows were seen we came across at least three fin whales some coming quite close to the boat again. Further south we could see at least six blows on the horizon from some very big whales as their blow was reaching 10-12 m and very visible at a distance, in my mind I felt they were blue whales but no one can be sure without actually seeing the animal. We stayed the course North because we knew the weather was getting bad for the evening as we were getting regular updates via satellite phone from IWDG Director Deirdre Slevin. Wind and rain closed in later in the evening so we battened down the hatches and had an early night, rising for night watch and enjoying the globe effect of the stars at sea and the realisation that the storm was not as bad as had been forecasted. Day 5 On rising the weather was not with us as the sea was choppy the skies were grey and intermittent heavy showers came down. I suppose we had been lucky to have escaped the rain until then really! I was off watch and admiring the cumulus clouds with the suns rays trying to break through when sitting on the stern chatting with other crew members approximately 100m behind the boat a medium sized whale appeared then two rotund dark bodies with a very strange head surfaced, thankfully by this time I had grabbed the other crews attention and with all of us observing we came to the conclusion that they were two Northern bottlenose whales; another great sighting for the trip a second whale species that is seen seldomly in these waters, plus it was the first sighting of the morning! Knowing that the weather was going to get worse the skipper made the decision to sail back into land for the night so we took our course NNW and had more sightings of common dolphins. As we passed the Skelligs a group of friendly and very big bottlenose dolphins came to swim alongside and play in the waves that were forming as the wind picked up and we were closer to land. As we came close to Valentia a porpoise surfaced as if welcoming us to land and calmer waters. We docked at Valentia marina for the night ate on board and had a nice pint in Bostons cosy pub up the hill recapping on the trip just gone and talking about our prospects for seeing humpbacks off the Blaskets the following morning. As two humpbacks had been seen there the previous two weeks we were in with a good chance! Day 6 Early to bed and early to rise, up at first light to get a good start out to the 100m contour line west of Blaskets where humpbacks and feeding action had been seen previously by local IWDG members Nick Massett and Stephen Comerford. As we sailed out of the calm waters of Valentia Harbour we could see some ominous clouds looming in the direction we were taking but as the sun rose and penetrated through it made for a spectacular scene over Dingle Bay. In the distance we could see masses of birds diving and feeding so we sailed towards the first signs of life that morning. As we neared the feeding frenzy common dolphins came alongside guiding us to a mass baitball of 100’s of more common dolphins, a few minke whales and gannets, sooty and great shearwaters, fulmars and gulls diving and feeding on the fish just below the surface of the water. It was amazing being amongst such an area of immense activity. In the distance we could see more flocks of birds diving and decided to check the next baitballs along the way. And were we lucky that we did, enroute to the next baitball we observed the diagnostic blow of a humpback whale amongst the action. It appeared that there was not one but two humpbacks in the baitball surface feeding. One of the humpbacks was a smaller animal and on three occasions throughout our lucky encounter it breached clear out of the water, every time surprising us as we watched in awe with dropped jaws. We were also lucky to have a display of tail slapping, and tail fluking the latter of which had us all snapping our cameras in order to get a photo id picture for the IWDG humpback catalogue. The sheer volume of activity in this area was overwhelming between the birds whales and dolphins there were hundreds of animals within this feeding frenzy. The whole time during our encounter with these magnificent creatures common dolphins were bow riding the boat and their whistles were clearly heard over the water. The dolphins were also bowriding the humpbacks and we were able to follow the groups of dolphins cutting through the water to indicate the direction of the whale. This encounter was truly the icing on the cake of our offshore trip. Although we had some rough waters that were not the best for whale and dolphin spotting we did pretty well for six days at sea, clocking up eight species of marine mammals, two of them seldom seen (beaked whales) and seeing other species such as a leatherback turtle, sunfish and tuna feeding! As we headed for home we chatted about the unparalleled scenery of the coastline of SW Ireland whilst hanging out on the deck happy with our sightings. Our whale watching appetite was satiated as we sailed back to Fenit discussing how people travel to the other side of the world for what we had just experienced without realising that its actually all here in Ireland.
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IWDG Events
Whale watching courses will be taking place on Cape Clear Island, County Cork between May and September. All members Celtic Mist will be IWDG plan to attend will join the team in offering Whale the many upcoming Baltimore on the Friday watching day trips to maritime festivals and evening to take the Ferry members from January events including the to Cape Clear and return to March along the Dive Show 2014 in to Baltimore on Sunday. Wexford coastline. Kilkenny and Whalefest 2014 in The cost of this course is Various day, weekend Brighton both in €70 to members and €90 and week long trips March make sure to to non members. will be organised in call by and visit our the New Year stand, meet other For further information including our annual IWDG members and please contact course Offshore survey trip. purchase merchandise. organiser Padraig Whooley by emailin g For further information An update of [email protected] please contact upcoming events will or Mobile: 00 353 (0)86- [email protected] be provided to all 3850568 and visit our website members in the new www.celticmist.info year.
If you would like to volunteer to help at any of these events, please email [email protected] for further information.
20 years studying the Shannon Dolphins by Dr. Simon Berrow
20 years ago on the 2nd May 1993, the first research trip into the Shannon Estuary to try and find bottlenose dolphins was carried out. I, Brian Holmes and Clare Heardman headed west from Carrigaholt, in west Clare to Kilcredaun, Ballybunnion and Leck Point in search of dolphins. We returned five hours later without seeing a single dolphin !! The following day we tried again and this time we located three groups with a total of around 16 dolphins, photographed 10 and identified six from permanent, unique markings on their dorsal fins (a technique called photo-id). These dolphins were given a catalogue numbers CN1 to CN6, the first dolphins in the Shannon Dolphin Photo-ID catalogue. Thus the Shannon Dolphin Project was born. 20 years later six of the dolphins recorded in 1993 (25%) were seen last year in the Shannon Estuary and nine (36%) seen during the last three years.
In July 1991, I had seen bottlenose dolphins during a commercial fishing trip from Carrigaholt. We were steaming out of the estuary with bottlenose dolphins on the bow of the fishing boat. Skipper, Joe Aston, said “ we usually lose the dolphins as we steam past Kilclogher Head ” – and we did. On the way back in after a week at sea, we picked up and lost dolphins exactly where the skipper, Joe said we would “ they are always in the estuary ” he said. My friend and colleague, Brian Holmes, an oceanographer at University College Cork had a similar experience in the estuary, while transiting from Carrigaholt to Ballybunnion in the early 1990s during an oceanographic survey off the North Kerry town. We both discussed the idea of starting a project on the dolphins.
We obtained funding from Shannon Development Ltd, in collaboration with the West Clare Fishing Co- operative based in Carrigaholt, to carry out a feasibility study to explore whether dolphin-watching was viable in the estuary. I purchased a 5.4m Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), an SLR camera and 300m lense and a telescope for the contract – which actually cost nearly three times the value of the funding, but I was convinced this was a great project and that it was going to be successful and had to invest in the necessary equipment to make it happen. In the first years we surveyed the waters between Carrigaholt, Kilstiffin and Ballybunnion buoys and from Ballybunnion buoy to Ballybunnion town and to Leck Point. We used the navigation buoys as markers as this was before GPS was available and it was the best way to know where you were in the estuary !! During the course of that first summer we carried out 27 trips on the RIB and recorded dolphins on 61% of trips. We photographed 25 individually recognisable dolphins but, as we were using print film donated by Spectra Ltd in Listowel, it would take a week or two before photographs were developed and received in the post so you were never sure if you had got a good image of the dolphins you saw. After this sponsorship ended we started using slide film, which was expensive, and every frame cost the project money so dorsal fins had to be in focus and filling the frame before the shutter release was pressed. Modern digital cameras have transformed photo-id and now we can rattle off hundreds of images during each dolphin encounter and just save the best.
The Shannon Dolphin Project was an initiative of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) but in 2000 a new registered charity, the Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation (SDWF) was formed. The SDWF was a group of interested stakeholders from state agencies and local development groups and tourism providers, including all dolphin-watching operators. In 2000 the SDWF were facilitated in the Scattery Island Visitor Centre in Kilrush but when a cottage on Scattery was refurbished as a visitor centre the centre was going to be sold. However the Monuments Section signed the centre over to the National Parks and Wildlife Service as they had based their local Conservation Ranger in the building. The Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Centre is open each summer to inform visitors about the dolphins and other wildlife in the region and to accommodate our researchers.
The Shannon Dolphin Photo-ID catalogue now contains around 45,000 images of around 230 individual dolphins. Collaboration with the dolphin tour boats is critical as this enables regular access to the dolphins during dolphin trips as well as monitoring the potential impacts of dolphin-watching. Some of the dolphins in the catalogue have died; new individuals are born and in time join the catalogue as they pick up marks and nicks in their dorsal fins. Photographing and monitoring individual dolphins not only enables us to determine their longevity but we can plot where in the estuary they are found, who they are associating with, who has calves and over the years, inter-calf intervals. Around seven calves are born each year usually in July and August. The social system has been shown to be a classic fission-fusion society with dolphins freely associating with most other members in the population. Bottlenose dolphins occur throughout the estuary, regularly occurring upriver as far as Shannon Airport and even at Limerick City and are frequently observed off Loop Head.
Using mark-recapture models with photo-id images we can estimate the abundance of dolphins in the estuary and after a number of surveys have been carried out look at population trends. The last estimate was in 2012 where around 107±12 dolphins were estimated to occur in the estuary. This was the fifth estimate since 1997 and all are around 110-130 dolphins suggesting the population is small but stable.
One of the curious things was the lack of sightings of any Shannon dolphins outside the estuary. The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group have been collecting images of bottlenose dolphins from all around the island of Ireland and frequently record the same individual dolphins off the Mayo, Galway, Cork, Dublin, Donegal and Antrim coast s showing this “inshore population” uses the entire Irish coastline. We have even matched some of these individuals to Scotland ! but never have we found a Shannon dolphin outside the Shannon Estuary and Tralee Bay. The furthest away from the estuary a Shannon dolphin has been recorded was 20km west off Sauce Creek in the shadow of Mount Brandon. Recently a genetic study of bottlenose dolphins used samples from stranded and biopsied animals and showed the Shannon dolphins are genetically discrete – confirming the evidence from photo-id. This is remarkable, bottlenose dolphins from the genetically different “inshore population” pass by the mouth of the Shannon Estuary but must not breed with the Shannon dolphins. This must have been happening for hundreds if not thousands of years to create such genetic discreteness. What is the mechanism preventing these dolphins from inter-breeding? Nobody knows, maybe it is the acoustic repertoire – they speak with different accents !!
One of our biggest successes is acoustic monitoring. We have pioneered many acoustic monitoring techniques in the Shannon. The first deployment in Ireland of a self-contained click detector (POD) was off Foynes Island in 2001 as part of the environmental impact study for the Bord Gáis Pipeline to the West. Since then we have deployed PODs at 13 sites and have around 6-7000 days of monitoring data. We have deployed hydrophones running from the shore into the sea off Kilcredaun Point near Carrigaholt and from a quarry adjacent to Moneypoint Power Station. This enabled us to monitor these sites day and night and through tidal cycles as well as observe and listen to dolphins simultaneously. Using an old lifeguard hut donated by Clare County Council and fitted with solar panel and wind turbine we could power a laptop and become power independent. In 2012 we even deployed a hydrophone off Tarbert Power Station which enabled real- time monitoring, through the internet, of dolphin vocalisations anywhere in the world and briefly for three months we became part of the Ocean Noise Monitoring Network, wow !
The real value of this long-term project is only just revealing itself. The recent appearance of three dolphins at Bunratty was a good example. By comparing images of these dolphins with those in the Shannon Dolphin Photo-id catalogue, we were able to confirm them as Shannon dolphins as two of the three were photographed from dolphin tour boats in the estuary last summer. A similar analysis of dorsal images from a mass stranding of bottlenose dolphins at Fenit, Co Kerry in June 2012 showed these were not Shannon dolphins but offshore bottlenose dolphins, a third population in Ireland, who had got into difficulty on the gentle slopes of Tralee Bay. In June 2012 a live stranded bottlenose dolphin was refloated off Béal strand and one month later photographed from dolphin tour boats during SDWF tour boat monitoring. The dolphin was photographed four times during that summer and in September photographed with a newborn calf. This is the first evidence in the world of a successful refloating of a dolphin that used natural markings and not satellite or other tags.
So looking back one of the main drivers of the project was to encourage and support commercial dolphin- watching. Dolphin-watching is now well established at two ports in west Clare- Carrigaholt and Kilrush - and around 400 trips are carried out annually catering for around 10-12,000 people. Dolphin-watching is monitored, including using of photo-id to ensure the dolphins are not being overly disturbed and a code of conduct which is now legally enforceable through inshore Irish waters developed by the tour operators. People are getting to see wild dolphins in their natural habitat which can only make them more interested in the marine environment. The estuary is now a protected site for bottlenose dolphins – the only one in Ireland to date – which means no activity or development will go ahead without considering the impact on the dolphins. The impact of dredging, rock-armour, blasting and pile-driving on the dolphins has been assessed and even a study carried out to look at the impacts of persistent pollutants on the dolphins completed.
Since 1993 we have had 14 research assistants employed by the SDWF, and facilitated 14 visiting scientists and seven postgraduate students. We have published 15 papers in the peer-reviewed literature, four book chapters and presented at ten international conferences. SDWF has run educational programmes for young people – Shannon Dol-fun – and maintain a website www.shannondolphins.ie for those interested to learn about current findings.
Looking back we feel we should have done much more such as regular boat transects; we would have liked to have deployed the hydrophone in more locations and maintained the real-time acoustic monitoring station at Tarbert. With more funding and support we could have achieved much more but you can only do what is practicable and feasible, and to have kept the project going for 20 years is success in itself and the true value of this long term study is only just becoming apparent.
The Shannon dolphin population is a small, isolated and unique population. The Shannon Estuary is undoubtedly one of the best locations in Europe to see bottlenose dolphins and is a natural laboratory for dolphin research. The estuary has much more potential for tourism and research and undoubtedly offers unique opportunities in Ireland, if not throughout Europe. We are privileged to have such a resource and I hope we can continue the Shannon Dolphin Project for another 20 years.
Dr Simon Berrow
Project Manager
Shannon Dolphin and Wildlife Foundation, Merchants Quay, Kilrush, Co Clare www.shannondolphins.ie
Thanks to all those who have contributed including research assistants: Sarah Ferriss, Lisa Groth, Shelia Downes, Joanne O’Brien, Andrew Young, Conor Ryan, Randall Counihan, Janelle Atkinson, Aoife Foley, Paddy O'Dwyer, Sarah Blennerhassett, Enda McKeogh, and Isabel Baker; centre staff Bernadette Brady, Jim Martin, Vanessa Klotzer and Jennifer Houlihan. We thank post graduate students Gareth Duguid, Ronan Hickey, Joanne O'Brien, Dana Miller, Sophie Hansen, Siobhan O'Brien: and Joanna Barker for their contribution. Visiting Scientists; Brian Holmes, John Gould, Nigel Griffin, Sophie Hansen, Huan Tan, Joanne O’Brien, Ruth Leeney, Przemek Zielinski, Eugene McKeown, Dave Wall, Kerstin Voigt, Florence Erbs and Lonneke Ijsseldijk have helped us maintain standards and we are delighted to have provided work experience to Finnoula Donovan, Evelyn Whelan, Teresa Prendergast and Eleanor Honan.
Thank you to the SDWF Committee especially John Quinlivan who chaired us so well for many years and all the members over the years; Paul Edson, Ogie Moran, Alison Healy, Siobhán Garvey, Siobhán Curran, Leonard Cleary, Michael O’Connell, Vincent Flynn, Brid Hedderman, Anne Wilkinson, Tom Carey, Bernadette Kinsella, Enda Mooney, Jimmi Conroy, Barry O’Donoghue, Brian Duffy, Seamus Hassett, David Lyons, Michael Roberts, Zena Hoctor, Martin Looby, Chris O’Grady, Michael Canny, Terry Dunne, Robert Stack, Cathal Blunnie representing themselves or Shannon Development Kilrush Town Council, Clare County Council, Carrigaholt Development Association, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Marine Institute and Tuithi Teo Charrai and especially the tour boat operators Geoff and Sue Magee, Paul, Gerald and Geraldine Griffin without whose support over the years we would not have achieved much at all.
Some days are better than others
By Emmett Johnston, IWDG/NPWS
Mobile phones may seem a strange topic to start a story about the stranding of a rare species of whale but central to this tale is the humble and ever present text message. The instantaneous power of texting is the catalyst to how I found myself transporting a 3 ton Beaked whale from the North tip of Ireland to a Veterinary laboratory in Athlone of all places.
Sometimes I curse Star Trek for coming up with those futuristic gadgets that have generated an inescapable world of always on and constant contact, but at other times I realise how really useful a tool they are. This story starts with a text, late at night as is the case with all good emergencies; Ronald Boggs the local Butcher in Malin town, near Malin Head sent me a message at 23:30 on the Monday night. The message was that a whale had been washed up on a near-by beach. Having worked for the wildlife service for the past number of years I’m no stranger to late night texts about dead animals, every day is different and one never knows what tomorrow will bring! After a few unrepeatable expletives I text back “not for human consumption!” then check my tides and discover that typically I need to be in Malin for 630am to avoid the whale being lifted on the next days high tide. I had just spent the last two weeks chasing a mysterious stranded dolphin on the same beach, everyone else saw it, and of course texted that information to me, yet each time I arrived down to take a skin sample the animal was nowhere to be seen, this one was not going to escape me.
Tuesday morning dawned bright and rainy as I set off for Malin head and an unknown level of poisonous fumes. There is nothing in this world quite like the hum of dead whale and from previous experience I was not looking forward to getting up close and personal with tons of rotting blubber. Ronald the butcher accompanied me to the whale, without his cleavers I might add, and I used my well thumbed and blood stained IWDG guide to ID the stranding. A fresh Sowerby’s beaked whale was what we naively thought and I quickly took a skin sample, measurements and a few pictures. While heading back to the office, I received another text, this time reporting a stranded dolphin or porpoise on Doagh Isle a near-by peninsula. Prioritising the whale I put it to the back of my mind. Once back in the office I sent off the pictures to those ‘who know’ and all hell broke loose. Instant emails flew and texts by the dozen. Within a few hours I was in a haze of logistics and on the phone to ask my boss for permission to take a whale to the Department of Agriculture veterinary lab in Athlone.
Athlone? the last time checked that was the furthest place in Ireland from the sea, this had to be some sort of sick dead animal joke. I finally cracked and saw the lighter side of things when some fellow called ‘Wojtek’ e-mailed me, to tell me how in love with beaked whales he is! Strange days these, I fear for humanity. Fighting back tears of laughter I managed to organise the local council men to meet me with a digger at the ‘incident zone’ in order to lift the carcass onto a trailer for transport. It was at this point that a friend emailed with a picture of the ‘porpoise’ mentioned earlier, hmmmm, that’s not a porpoise it’s a baby beaked whale What’shisname is going to really love this one!
Now we had not just one whale to pick up but a mother and calf! Finally with the help of many people and in particular Seosamh Mahon a local RNLI volunteer we managed to get the beasts hauled onto the trailer and tied securely with a giant tarpaulin over the top. Andrew Speer an NPWS colleague had mercifully agreed to drive the animals with me to the lab, this meant I wasn’t alone for the five hour trip and had someone else to point at, as people on the street stopped and stared at the strange shape on our trailer. “No, I’m afraid it’s not a giant mermaid”, I reluctantly informed the deadly serious garage attendant while paying for diesel in Roscommon. I know the marine doesn’t get the coverage it deserves in our education system but ‘giant mermaids’ wrapped up in plastic on a trailer, need I say more? Finally we arrived into the departments lab and met up with the waiting whale butchers. Simon Berrow, Joanne O’Brien and Gema Hernandez Milian had travelled early to get the fresh meat on the slab as quick as possible. A quick chat and the knives are out; slicing and dicing, searching for teeth and lumps of meat. Once we saw them make a move for the stomach, Andrew and I politely took the exit door back into fresh air and the ‘real’ world.
Looking back, it really is a testament to the modern age how quickly and easily it was all communicated and arranged by mobile phone; people from Cork and Galway, whales from Donegal, out of hours drop off, trailers, diggers, tarpaulins and cameras: is there no escape for anyone? As it turned out, I’m told it was a True’s beaked whale not a Sowerby’s and ‘what’shisname’, Wojtek is a world expert in these things. A final word of caution to you all, like Bilbo my lesson from this strange adventure is that: It’s a dangerous business, to check your phone at night. You open your inbox, and if you don’t keep your cool, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.
Emmett Johnston
Conservation Ranger
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Harbour Porpoise Surveys 2013 by Dr. Simon Berrow
The largest piece of work the IWDG carried out this year was a harbour porpoise survey off the coast of Dublin and west Cork. These surveys were funded by the National Parks and Wildlife service as part of their statutory obligations. This is the fourth contract the IWDG has won since 2007 to carry out harbour porpoise surveys.
Surveying porpoise is difficult as you need very flat sea of sea-state 2 or less, which is no white caps present. Even in the summer we have had it is a great challenge to charter a vessel and mobilise a survey team on the right day. We use distance sampling to estimate densities of harbour porpoise in a defined area which then gives us an abundance estimate.
The first survey we carried out in 2007 was of the Blasket Islands which is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for harbour porpoise. Density estimates from this survey were used to compare similar surveys carried out at eight sites in 2008, including Roaringwater Bay in west Cork which was the other SAC for porpoise in Ireland, in an attempt to identify other areas with high densities which may be suitable for SAC designation.
Of the eight sites surveyed highest densities were recorded in Dublin Bay and North County Dublin. This ultimately led to the area being designated as the Rockabill to Dalkey Island SAC in December 2012. This year's objective was to survey this new SAC and carry out a repeat of the 2008 survey of Roaringwater Bay and Islands.
Both surveys were completed on time and the draft final report is with NPWS. The report will be released on their website www.npws.ie in good time. IWDG have established best practice methodology for carrying out harbour porpoise surveys in Ireland.
We will ensure that other parties carrying out surveys where harbour porpoise are known to occur in good numbers, adopt these guidelines and provide robust density estimates from which to inform impact assessments and ensure appropriate mitigation.
What is the Aarhus Convention? by Shay Fennelly, IWDG Director
I am a member of the IWDG since 1992, was a Board member in 2003 and am a member of the Board again since 2012. I am interested in acoustics as a tool to study whales and dolphins, NGO governance, and developing projects which create educational opportunities for people.
I was recently appointed as IWDG representative to the Irish Environment Network (IEN). The IEN is a network of 32 individual environmental Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) that work individually and, as appropriate, jointly to protect and enhance the environment, and to place environmental issues centre stage in Ireland and internationally.
Last November the Irish Environment Network (IEN) held a seminar to advise Irish environmental NGOs about the Aarhus Convention which I attended.
The Aarhus Convention establishes a number of rights of the public (individuals and their associations) with regard to the environment. The convention provides for the right of everyone to receive environmental information that is held by public authorities, the right to participate in environmental decision-making, and the right to review procedures to challenge public decisions that have been made without respecting the two aforementioned rights or environmental law in general.
The Parties to the Convention are required to make the necessary provisions so that public authorities (at national, regional or local level) will enable these rights to become effective. Ireland ratified the Aarhus Convention on the 20th June 2012 September.
CAUTION Article 29.6 of our Constitution states “no international agreement shall be part of domestic law of the State save as may be determined by the Oireachtas”. International agreements therefore cannot be enforced in Ireland unless they have been incorporated into our domestic law.
At the same time, Article 29.3 of the Constitution states that, “Ireland accepts the generally recognised principles of international law as its rule of conduct in its relations with other states”. The right to receive environmental Information was transposed into Irish law in 2007 by the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations 2007 to 2011 (S.I. No. 133 of 2007 and S.I. No. 662 of 2011) (hereafter referred to as the AIE Regulations).
The AIE Regulations provide a definition of environmental information; outline the manner in which requests for information may be submitted to public authorities and the manner in which public authorities are required to deal with requests e.g. timeframes for response. The regulations also provide for a formal appeals procedure in the even that a person is unhappy with a decision on their request.
Anyone wishing to obtain information on the environment from public bodies can obtain guidance here: http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/AccesstoInformationontheEnvironment/ Unlike Freedom of Information requests to public bodies no fee is required to make a request.
Thoughts from our Chairman
Hello to all members and supporters,
As 2013 comes to a close I think it is time to reflect on what the IWDG has achieved this year and to look forward to what lies ahead of us in 2014.
The IWDG is a membership organization and although significant financial contributions to the group come from scientific consulting work, the core backbone is the membership contributions. This has been a reliable and steady flow of revenues for the IWDG. The importance of engaged members lies not only in the financial contribution, but more so in the in kind contributions, namely hours of volunteer work. Whether it is the time our members spend on watches (headland/ferry), the time they spend on representing IWDG at shows and events, maintaining and skippering the Celtic Mist or collecting samples of stranded animals. All these hours contribute to the success that IWDG has had in the past and will have in the future.
When I joined the IWDG I found it hard to get engaged myself. When I joined the BoD, and later as the Chairman, I made it my mission to make it easier for our members to get involved and to contribute to the IWDG. As a first step we have created several officer positions. It is now for these Officers to set up working groups to get members involved and we are making good progress on that front.
Moving forward we will set up other roles and structures in the IWDG that will allow members to actively get involved. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any suggestions. We may not be able to follow through with everything that will be suggested, the board and most officers are volunteers too, with limited availability and we are running a tight ship with our finances. However, we will be relying on the members to provide suggestions.
Celtic Mist was and is the topic of many conversations within our organization. It continues to be an adventure. We decided that we will operate the Celtic Mist for an initial 3 years to test the waters and to find out if we as a group benefit from having our own vessel. With any investment, one has to be prepared to lose money in the initial phases. It is quite remarkable that (pending final accounting) we are close to breakeven. The Celtic Mist team has done an excellent job and got us off to a good start for 2014. The uncounted hours and in kind contributions of our members played a substantial role in this early success story of the Celtic Mist. I strongly believe that the Celtic Mist as our flagship will help us to win more members and a lot of recognition in Ireland.
Another flagship of the past has been our website. With growing technical demands we needed to upgrade the system to a more flexible solution. Along the way we made some good and some bad decisions and we are still in the process of fixing those. Once the newly released website is launched, it will be again an IWDG flagship.
Finally I would like to thank my fellow Directors. All of us are volunteers too and have other commitments to day jobs and to our families. We have spent a considerable amount of time during and around the Directors’ meetings and calls and other initiatives. I want to thank all of our members and volunteers for all their hours they contributed to the IWDG and to support our mission.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!
Willie Muehlhausen IWDG Chairman
We welcome contributions from members, especially personal experiences of cetaceans in Ireland. Please send all contributions to [email protected]