Yearly Archives: 2001

A sixty foot whale washed ashore at Fahey Bay near Clifden in early September was identified as a Fin whale by a local marine biologist. Galway County Council six days later decided to burn the whale following complaints from people about the smell. The whale was dead when stranded and appeared to have died two

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The European Court of Justice has ruled that the Government has failed to fulfil its obligations to schedule habitat areas for protection. The Government is required to set up the sites under a 1992 directive. It was to have issued a full listing of sites

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) was established in December 1990 at the newly opened ENFO office. Representatives from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were present and it was decided that the IWDG would operate throughout the island of Ireland with the mission statement: “dedicated to the study and conservation of

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Return of the Fins

Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) reaching lengths of 80ft are second only in size to the blue whale. Dwarfing the minke our most abundant baleen whale, fin whales are neither as rare nor as hard to see as you might think. Their powerful 20ft vapour plumes standing out on the horizon on those clear, calm days.

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With so many cetaceans out there at present and with so many folk contributing to our sighting scheme, IWDG members should be meeting up at local sites for casual sea watches. This is consistent with our objectives of organizing locally, rather than doing everything on a grand nationwide scale. You are likely to live close

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