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Marine Wildlife
The Pike spotted in a Galway well was a surprise
County Galway reader Brenda Richardson spotted a carnivorous pike fish (above) in her (unused) well in a farm field about one mile from Lough Corrib and near Wormhole boglands and she writes:  There is a history of eel sightings in this well but we did…
A fin whale sighted off West Cork in 2019
Falling demand for whale meat has prompted Iceland to announce and end to commercial whaling from 2024, as RTÉ News reports. The move will leave Norway and Japan as the only countries that hunt whales for commercial purposes. In an…
Basking sharks are a regular visitor to Ireland’s shores in summer months
Queen’s University Belfast has released new research which has revealed that basking sharks overwintering in tropical waters off Africa experience cooler temperatures than those remaining in Ireland. The research, published in Environmental Biology of Fishes 2022, provides evidence to challenge…
Wetlands and peatlands provide “socio-economic and environmental benefits as well as being large, long-term carbon stores with unique biodiversity. See vid below
World Wetlands Day 2022 has been marked by Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan with a tribute to communities who have worked to restore and raise awareness of the value of wetlands and peatlands. Community-led projects are a key…
Cuvier’s beaked whale
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) says it supports the call for a moratorium on military exercises within Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Both the Irish South and West Fish Producers’ Organisation (IS&WFPO) and the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters…
The Government has urged any fishing vessels planning to protest near the Russian naval vessels to avoid putting themselves at risk
Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan says he is “ deeply concerned” at the news that military exercises are to be conducted by Russia within Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Area due to the impact on marine mammals. In a statement…
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch as modelled in 2017
Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans has changed ecosystems so much that now marine wildlife and plantlife are using it as the foundation of new habitats, it’s being claimed. Marine Industry News reports on research conducted on the so-called Great…
A sunfish photographed off Inishglora, an island off Mayo, last year. Rising ocean temperatures have caused an enigmatic ocean giant to venture north into Irish waters and beyond, almost 50 years of observations off the Cork coast have helped confirm.
Ocean temperatures are rising which have caused an enigmatic ocean giant (sunfish) to venture north into Irish waters and beyond, almost 50 years of observations off the Cork coast have helped confirm. A study by a team of researchers from…
Dara McGee's - ' Coconuts with and without husks, along with Sea Heart (Entada gigas) Fanore, Co Clare, 20.07.2019
Marine biologist Declan Quigley has said it is “conceivable” that some of the 67 coconuts recorded in Irish waters over the past half-century could have drifted from tropical areas across the Atlantic. In a paper published on the recent discovery…
File image of a frog and frogspawn near Omagh, Co Tyrone
Parental care by amphibians moving between freshwater and land influences how many eggs they lay, new research by Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has found. While most amphibians abandon their young when they lay their eggs, those involved in parental care…
A still from video footage of salmon spawning in the River Roe
As part of the Loughs Agency’s annual redd counting on the River Roe and its tributaries in Northern Ireland, underwater cameras were successfully deployed and have captured footage of salmon spawning activity. Mark McCauley, freshwater fisheries biologist with the agency,…
Humpback whales have been spotted 75 times off the coast of Britain since 2019
A new review of marine wildlife in British waters reveals that once-rarely seen humpback whales have rebounded in recent years. Marine Industry News reports on the 2021 Marine Review from The Wildlife Trusts which notes that humpback whale numbers are…
“Iontas na bhFarraigí Ceilteachta” is a three-part series presented by Eoin Warner which will be broadcast on TG4 from January 12th.
The courtship rituals of bottle-nosed dolphins, basking sharks congregating off the Irish coast and the sex-shifting cuckoo wrasse are documented in a new wildlife series on the Celtic coasts. “Iontas na bhFarraigí Ceilteachta” is a three-part series presented by Eoin…
A surfer off the North Coast near Portrush
Enthusiasts of surfing, sea kayaking and coasteering are being asked to contribute to a project collecting data about Northern Ireland’s marine wildlife. As the Coleraine Chronicle reports, National Museums NI’s Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR) hopes that the North…
A murmuration at Templeludigan, Co. Wexford
BirdWatch Ireland, the national charity protecting birds, has asked people who regularly visit coastal harbours and beaches and who take to the seas “ to help in tracking one of the most breathtaking sights in Nature.” This is the phenomenon…
A common dolphin reported live stranded in Mulranny, Co Mayo by Catherine Hanley
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has appealed for the public to keep a look-out after a spate of marine wildlife strandings reported in recent days. Half of the six reports were live strandings, the group says, but only…

Marine Wildlife Around Ireland One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with marine wildlife.  It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. As boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat.  Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!