Sperm whales photographed by the Irish Aer Corps
An estimated population of 380 sperm whales has been discovered in waters deeper than 300m off Ireland’s western shores.
Sperm whales are one of the most abundant great whale species in the deep waters of offshore Ireland, according to a new study by the Scotland-based Sea Mammal Research Unit Consulting (SMRU Consulting) and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT). The study, published recently in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management,
Principal Investigator at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology of the ObSERVE Acoustic project Dr Simon Berrow of GMIT said: “The survey team spent a total of 45 days at sea, covering an area of some 120,000 km2 in weather conditions that make the hardiest of seamen queasy. With high sea states and towering swell, the study relied purely on being able to detect the distinctive powerful click trains of sperm whales using a streamlined towed hydrophone (underwater microphone) array