Killer whales that wowed Anglesey put on Irish show
TWO killer whales spotted off the North Wales coast two years ago have reappeared in Northern Ireland.
The Orca whales were caught breaching in Strangford Lough, County Down, Northern Ireland, last Friday to the delight of locals except one resident seal.
Natural Resources Wales marine mammal expert Ceri Wyn Morris confirmed they were the same two spotted at South Stack, near Holyhead, in June 2018. That rare sighting generated intense interest.
Ms Morris said: “We know the animals because we can identify them from their dorsal fins – through a process known as photo ID.
“Both animals are adult male killer whales and you can see that one of them has a distinctive notch in his dorsal fin.”
They are understood to be a part of a pod known as the West Coast Community – the only ‘resident’ population of killer whales in the UK – normally seen around the Hebrides in Scotland.
Ms Morris said the group of just eight killer whales have never been observed to produce a calf, and are understood to be at a high risk of dying off.
She added: “We can recognise [one of them] as ‘W01’ also known as John Coe – one of the West Coast Community of killer whales, usually found off the west coast of Scotland.
“The other is thought to be ‘Aquarius’ as he is frequently seen travelling with John Coe in the Hebrides.
“When the animals visited Wales in 2018, we know that they had travelled over 600km from Mull, to Dingle in Ireland, before passing by Anglesey.”
Other killer whales do visit Scottish waters from Norway and Iceland, but they are thought not to mix with the resident West Coast Community.
Adam Osborne, from Portavogie in Northern Ireland, caught the creatures on camera with a long lens from the shore in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
He said: “I got a message to say there were whales in the lough and figured there’d be no chance of seeing them.
“But I went down to the shore anyway and was amazed at the sight of them. I feel very lucky.”
Hugh Thurgate, head ranger at Strangford Lough and Ards Peninsula National Trust, was alerted by the captain of the Strangford Ferry.
He said: “I’m just home after witnessing the incredible sight of two male Orca – killer whales – making their way down Strangford Lough.
“I was struck by their enormous size – particularly the dorsal fin that was close to six feet in height.”