A SPATE of dolphin strandings along the west coast over the past week has been described as unusual by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
Six separate incidents from Kerry to south Donegal involved strandings by three separate species of dolphin. Some of the animals survived after refloating, but some perished.
The first report involved a common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) on Ventry strand, Co Kerry on July 23rd, according to the group’s strandings co-ordinator Mick O’Connell.
“Attempts were made to refloat this animal, and on the following day it was seen swimming strongly in the bay,” Mr O’Connell said. Six days later, on July 29th, a common dolphin was spotted alive on the shore at Killala, Co Mayo, but it did not survive.
Last week, on August 5th, a Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) swam up on sand at Elly Bay on the Mullet peninsula in north Mayo. It was refloated, but became stranded again later that day and died the following day.
On August 7th, five common dolphins were discovered alive on Rossnowlagh beach, which is a popular surfing haven in south Donegal. Two of these were refloated, but three others died on the beach and were taken to Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology for examination.
On Monday, another dolphin was found stranded at Mayo’s Killala Bay. Locals managed to lift it on to a tarpaulin and it was taken to deeper water at Lacken where it was coaxed out to sea.
Also on Monday, a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), normally found in temperate and tropical waters, was found dead on the Shannon Estuary in Co Clare. It is believed it may have been alive when it stranded.
A seismic survey has been taking place on the Slyne Basin since late July, running until the end of this month. However, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group says it can “only speculate” as to the cause of the various dolphin strandings. Irish waters have been designated as a whale and dolphin sanctuary for over a decade.
“Stranding numbers had been running at a lower level than normal this year, mainly due to easterly winds in the earlier part of the year,” Dr Simon Berrow, of the whale and dolphin group, said. “This past fortnight has been unusual, and it is hard to find a common thread. We’d appeal to the public to contact us for any such sightings or related information,” he said.
See iwdg.ie for more details.