#dolphinstrandings – As Afloat.ie reported earlier, a  County Mayo woman Ina Kruger successfully rescued a stranded dolphin at Easter on Keem beach, Achill. Originally rescued on Easter Sunday, the dolphin returned to the beach where the body of a second dolphin was discovered. Fortunately, the second rescue attempt was more successful and the dolphin hasn't been seen since. 

#MarineWildlife - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has confirmed that a dead dolphin calf found washed up near Doolin in Co Clare almost three years ago was likely born to Dusty the dolphin, who's been the subject of much controversy over recent weeks.

Dr Simon Berrow of the IWDG writes that a sample was taken from the dead calf and stored for future genetic analysis. Similar samples were collected from Dusty by local diver and award winning photographer George Karbus, and these were sent to marine researcher Marie Louis at the Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, France as part of her PhD project.

Louis recently analysed these samples and determined that Dusty and the calf shared the same haplotype, a genetic marker that points to a very likely relation between the two dolphins.

"Given the recent behaviour of Dusty in Doolin and suggestions locally that she gets more aggressive when she is pregnant, this latest analysis is relevant as it shows that Dusty is sexually mature, interacts and mates with other dolphins and has at least on one occasion had a calf," writes Berrow.

Last week the victim of an attack by the 14-year-old female bottlenose dolphin at Doolin has called for a total swimming ban in the area.

#MarineWildlife - A fantastic snapshot of a surfing dolphin has netted a Clare-based photographer the prestigious top prize at the British Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards, as the Mail Online reports.

Czech-born George Karbus captured the winning image, titled 'In the Living Room', while diving off Ballintoy in Co Antrim, when he encountered the "playful" bottlenose dolphin "that suddenly started to surf the deep tube inside the waves".

As reported by TheJournal.ie, Karbus added: “Water visibility is always very limited in Ireland, and I was very lucky to get a shot like this.”

The photographer also topped the coastal and marine category at this year's awards, and his prize photo will be featured in a book compiling the top entries.

Karbus was previously featured on Afloat.ie in 2011 for his stunning images of fin whales and dolphins feeding off Hook Head in Co Wexford.

#DolphinAttack - A woman who suffered serious injuries after being struck by the snout of Doolin's dolphin resident Dusty has criticised the lack of warning signs in the harbour at the time.

As RTÉ News reports via the Irish Independent, Valerie Ryan is calling for a total swimming ban in the area after suffering eight spinal fractures, two broken ribs and lung damage in the incident on 28 July last.

The self-employed osteopath has been forced out of work for six months due to her injuries.

Hers was the fourth such altercation with Dusty, a 14-year-old female bottlenose dolphin, recorded at that point this summer.

It has since emerged that the dolphin may have been acting aggressively in reaction to mistreatment by certain members of the public on various occasions.

Warning signs have since been erected in the area by Clare County Council, in line with advice from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group that no one should swim with any of the whales or dolphins that frequent Ireland's waters - activity that puts both humans and cetaceans at risk.

"This dolphin is a wild animal and people should take serious account of that," said Liam Griffin, water safety officer with Clare County Council.

#MarineWildlife - A dolphin from the Irish Sea that became stranded on sandbanks in the River Dee in North Wales was safely transported back to deeper waters aboard Flint’s inshore RNLI lifeboat.

RNLI volunteers from Flint were called to Airbus UK’s loading facility, just downstream from Saltney Ferry, at around 11.30am on Thursday morning (22 August) to attend to the dolphin that was in difficulty in the shallows of the river estuary.

RNLI lifeboat operations manager Alan Forrester confirmed that the crew put the dolphin inside a stretcher for transfer to the lifeboat, and that a representative from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue was on board to monitor the cetacean's condition.

"The dolphin is a fair size, so we’ll go at a very slow pace until we reach deeper waters, where we will be met by the Rhyl all-weather RNLI lifeboat," said Forrester during the mission.

The dolphin, originally named 'Dave', has since been renamed 'Davina' after she was identified as being female.

Davina was released around the North Rhyl Flats as if she were set free in any shallow waters it's feared she would become stranded again.

#MarineWildlife - The coastguard were beaten to the punch by a group of children who helped a stranded dolphin back into open water in Co Clare, as TheJournal.ie reports.

Kilkee Coast Guard were dispatched after reports that the striped dolphin was trapped in the shallow rock pools at Kilkee Beach, but the unit arrived on scene just in time to see the cetacean swim away unscathed.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group's Dr Simon Berrow confirmed to TheJournal.ie that locals had seen a number of other dolphins swimming in the area, at least one of which almost became stranded in shallow water.

#MarineWildlife - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has urged people in Doolin to refrain from swimming with or even approaching Dusty the dolphin after it emerged the cetacean has been tormented by loutish visitors.

As reported on Afloat.ie last week, a woman was hospitalised after being struck by the dolphin's nose in what was just one of a spate of incidents involving the 14-year-old female bottlenose at the Co Clare town.

However the Irish Examiner reports that the marine mammal may only be reacting to antagonising behaviour such as fin grabbing by some swimmers and visitors in the Doolin area - with one group of campers allegedly trying to pour cider down her blowhole.

Speaking after the latest attack late last month, Dr Simon Berrow of the IWDG commented: "It is IWDG policy to discourage people swimming with whales and dolphins in Ireland. The risk is not only to humans but also to the dolphin as habituation to humans increases risk of injury or death to the dolphin.

"Around 80% of such interactions worldwide end up in the death or severe injury of the dolphins involved."

#MarineWildlife - Dusty the dolphin has injured yet another swimmer off Doolin Pier in Co Clare in the latest of a recent spate of incidents, as The Irish Times reports.

Last night a woman was hospitalised after being struck by the dolphin's nose in the kidney area, leaving her "badly bruised and shocked by the incident".

It's since emerged that this was the fourth such attack by the bottlenose dolphin in the past month.

The cetacean responsible - a 14-year-old female - has made Doolin her home after many years in the Fanore area, and has apparently been responsible for a number of attacks on swimmers over the last two years.

But visitors continue to swim with the dolphin despite warnings by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), which discourages any interference with the protected species.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

At the end of January 2013, over a one week period, 13 common dolphins were found dead along the Mayo coast. The situation was considered sufficiently unusual to warrant further investigation. The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht commissioned a specialist cetacean veterinarian team to carry out post-mortem examinations on five of the animals. This work was undertaken in Athlone at the Regional Veterinary Laboratories of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

There was evidence consistent with entanglement in fishing gear apparent in each animal and the post-mortem findings in all five animals are thought to be most consistent with accidental bycatch in trawl type fishery gear. Common dolphins are plentiful in Irish waters and the Celtic Sea, but are at risk of accidental bycatch by trawling, as they may feed on fish shoals very close to boats.

They are one of twenty four species of cetacean that occur in Ireland and are subject to strict protection under national and international legislation. Minister Deenihan said "I am concerned by any killing of these species, even where accidental. A meeting has been agreed between my officials and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to examine what further actions may be taken to minimise the risks to dolphins". Minister Coveney shared the concerns of Minister Deenihan and acknowledged "In addition to our own boats, many other European fleets operate in Irish waters, an area that is intensely fished. On the basis of these examinations, it is not possible to determine which of these fleets might have been involved in this incident. The results of these post mortems certainly remind us of the need to further our efforts to reduce incidental by-catch to the lowest possible level across all EU and third country fleets fishing in waters around Ireland".

#MarineWildlife - The Irish Examiner reports on the extraordinary story of a bottlenose dolphin who turned to a group of divers for help to free it from a fishing line.

The video above captures the touching scene when the cetacean approached the divers as they filmed a group of manta rays in the Pacific waters near Kona in Hawaii.

As the footage shows, the dolphin positioned itself in such as way as to allow diver Keller Laros to cut the fishing tackle that was tangled tightly around its midsection and remove the hook from its left pectoral fin.

After the dolphin took to the surface for a quick breather, the divers were able to free it from the line and allow it to swim away unharmed.