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*Updated Post: Fin whale sighted in Dublin Port!

admin admin • October 6, 2019

A whale which was identified by marine biologists at Ocean Research & Conservation Ireland (O.R.C.Ireland) as a juvenile fin whale has been found swimming around in Dublin Port. This animal is likely sick or injured and it is advised to give it space as it may have come in to strand.

The whale was sighted by the Stena Line Berth, along the River Liffey, Co. Dublin on Wednesday the 2nd of October. Given it's small size this animal may be easily confused with a minke whale (Ireland's smallest baleen whale), and it had many naturalists and members of the public asking, what kind of whale is this?

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in Dublin Port yesterday. We confirm spp. I.D. based on the tall blow, the blowholes and the dorsal fin are not visible at the same time as with a minke and, has chevrons and glimpse of white lower right jaw @ObserversApp https://t.co/RKjF4I4xJA
— Ocean Research & Conservation (O.R.C.) (@ORCireland) October 3, 2019

We put this question to bed the first night this animal was seen, it was a juvenile fin whale! How did we know? Well there were a few tell tail signs, including the distinguishable lower right hand jaw, tall blow or spout and prominent ridge leading from the tip to the back of the rostrum.

The fin whale is a rare sight in Dublin Port and is likely a sick or injured animal. It is thus advised that we give this animal space and hope it goes back out to sea soon! If you do see this animal please make sure you send us a report and contribute to citizen science through the Observers App available to download free on Google Play.

Now that we have cleared up what species of whale this is, we can laugh about the fact that RTE weren't even sure it was a whale and some of the best tweets in response to their comment "There is believed to be a whale in Dublin Port" lol.

****Update: Whale Stranded in Dublin Bay.

A fin whale which was observerd swimming around Dublin Port on the 2nd of October has been been found stranded on Dollymount Strand, Bull Island, Co. Dublin. Passengers and crew on the Irish Ferries vessel Ulysses spotted the corpse of the fin whale floating in the water as the vessel left Dublin Port on Friday. The dead whale was regarded as a hazard to shipping so its remains were towed further out to sea by a Dublin Port vessel where it was expected to sink after a few hours. The whale's carcass had been dragged back out to sea, however returned to land, as they can often do with drift and wind conditions.

This highlights the need for a better stranding response plan to be in place for large whales such as fin and humpback whales. Little information is currently available to local authorities about the best course of action for dealing with an animal as large as a fin whale washing ashore or dying in a busy shipping port.

Fin whale stranded on Bull Island, Co. Dublin. Photo by Mark Collins.

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