A blue whale, the world’s largest living animal, has been spotted off the west coast of Ireland in what experts say is the first confirmed sighting of the colossal marine mammal in six years.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) said the whale was spotted by one of its members who was aboard the group’s Cetic Mist yacht on July 23.
The blue whale was observed in an area of the Porcupine Bank along the Irish shelf edge, some 175 nautical miles northwest of Slyne Head - the westernmost point of Co. Galway.
The IWDG said it was its “first confirmed report in six years” of a blue whale in Irish waters.
Sightings of the enormous animals - which measure almost 30 metres in length and weigh nearly 200 tonnes - are very rare.
Experts have warned their numbers remain low due to decades of over-exploitation by commercial whale fisheries.
The IWDG said it has recorded just 18 blue whale sightings since 2008.
However, the group said it felt encouraged for the future of the species following the most recent sighting.
“It’s brilliant to know they are out there and using these offshore corridors to migrate between high latitude feeding areas and breeding areas,” the IWDG said in its latest report.
Padraig Whooley, the group’s sightings officer, added: “It’s difficult to interpret what this means in terms of their numbers.
“Does it mean there are very few big blues left out there, or merely reflect that the areas they’re in are difficult to get to and even more difficult to spend time in during periods with good enough sea conditions to locate and count them?
“But the fact that any blue whales at all are out there gives grounds for optimism, as if there is one thing we know about nature, it’s that it’s resilient and can bounce back if left alone.”
