Rare beluga whale spotted off the coast of Donegal

A BELUGA WHALE has been spotted off Donegal Bay in what the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) said is only the second validated sighting of the Arctic species in Ireland.

The IWDG said drone footage of the whale was captured by a member of the public on Saturday.

The beluga whale is a white whale which typically lives in freezing Arctic and sub-Arctic waters. They are one of only two living members of the Monodontidae family, the other being the narwhal, which was first spotted in Ireland just last November.

Beluga whales can live between 35 and 50 years and males can weigh up to 1,600kg, while females can weigh up to 1,200kg.

Pádraig Whooley, sightings officer at the IWDG, said that the colour and size of the Beluga whale confirm it is an adult of unknown gender.

Whooley said the footage of the whale gave the group no cause for concern for its welfare, as it seems to be swimming strongly and breathing normally.

He said it was in brackish and shallow water, which is common among belugas, who regularly swim “hundreds of kilometres upstream, until fresh water freezing in autumn provides the cue to return to the safety of open sea”.

The IWDG said that belugas have been reported on at least four other occasions around the Irish coast; however, Saturday’s sighting is only the second one accompanied by photographic evidence and validated by the group.

The last validated sighting was of a solitary adult male beluga whale on the shore off Dunseverick, Co Antrim, in July 2015.

The two unvalidated sightings occurred in September 1948 off Clare Island, Clew Bay, Co Mayo, and then in Cork Harbour in June 1988.

Whooley said Saturday’s sighting suggests that the intervals between confirmed Irish sightings are close, and Ireland may be receiving more frequent visits from Arctic whales. 

The IWDG asks that if members of the public spot a beluga, try and take a photo or video and report it to the group.