First ever pictures of Arctic beluga whale in Irish waters (well, it has been a bad summer)

IT’S PERHAPS A reflection of the rather cool conditions we’ve been experiencing of late…

A species of whale usually found at home in Arctic waters has been spotted off the Antrim coast.

According to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, it’s the first sighting of the species in Irish waters since the organisation started its monitoring in 1991.

It was spotted and photographed off the Antrim coast on 30 July.

Source: Gordon Watson/IWDG

Source: Gordon Watson/IWDG

“A beluga whale is extremely unusual,” Dr Peter Evans of the Seawatch Foundation told the BBC.

It’s the first record that we know for Northern Ireland and in fact there’s only been about a dozen in 50 years for the whole of Britain and Ireland.

The last previous sighting was around Cork Harbour in 1988. There was also a sighting in Mayo in 1948.

Close-up of a beluga whale. Source: Associated Press

According to the IWDG, the last record of a beluga in Irish or British waters was in 2007.

“So even at much higher latitudes such as the Orkneys or Shetland, sightings of beluga are extremely rare events.”

The organisation is asking for anyone with images or video evidence of the mammal from the last few weeks to get in contact.

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