The North Atlantic Right Whale has not been spotted in Irish waters for over 114 years.
Gerard Johnston could not have imagined what awaited him as he headed out on his angling boat in Donegal Bay on Monday evening.
Capturing footage of the critically endangered whale, which he sent to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) for identification, Johnston said it was an incredibly “happy day”.
The incredible footage sent to the IWDG shows the critically endangered whale, which was spotted in Irish waters for the first time in over 114 years.
A remarkable sighting – a once common species
Johnston was one of a few people out in the water who managed to spot the remarkable North Atlantic Right Whale.
Once a common sighting in Irish seas, the incredible creature is sadly now functionally extinct here. There are even less than 400 remaining in the world.
However, it was a “happy day” all-round on Monday as the critically endangered whale was spotted in Irish waters for the first time in over 114 years.
Identifying the whale – not one of the usual suspects
Speaking to Belfast Live, Gerard said, “I was on my way ashore from an afternoon angling onboard my own boat called Happy Days, when I spotted the unusual whale.
“And after contacting Pádraig the next morning to discover it was a Northern Right Whale, it was a Happy Day for me.”
The IWDG received the footage from a few lucky people who managed to spot the critically endangered whale as it made its way into Irish waters around Donegal on Monday evening.
Setting about identifying the creature, the group’s sightings officer, Pádraig Whooley, said, “We just knew immediately that it wasn’t one of the usual suspects.”
The last known sighting of the whale occurred between 1910 and 1918, making it an incredibly exciting spot. Sea Watch Ireland urges everyone around the island’s coast to keep watch for the whale over the next few days.
