Emily Chan
For the first time in over a century, one of the rarest whales in the world appeared off the northwest coast of Ireland. It was a North Atlantic right whale, and it was spotted swimming near Sliabh Liag off the County Donegal coast.
North Atlantic right whales are among the most critically endangered large ocean mammals on the planet. As of 2023, it is believed that less than 350 are left in the wild. They could be extinct in just 20 years.
The sighting of this species is exceptionally rare, especially since it has not been recorded in this particular area for decades, according to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG).
“We can make a convincing argument that the last positive identification of this species in Ireland dates back to 1910,” the group said.
The New England Aquarium confirmed the sighting. The species was identified by the large, white, rough patches on the whale’s skin called callosities. They are caused by whale lice, a feature that is unique to right whales in the region. Each whale has a different pattern of callosities that experts use to identify and track individual whales.
North Atlantic right whales are curious creatures with acrobatic skills. They can be seen breaching the water and then crashing back down, smacking the water with their flukes to create a thunderous splash.
They are usually found closer to the eastern coast of North America, although they are also known for traveling far offshore. Right whales migrate every season in small groups or by themselves. The NOAA Fisheries has determined the two most important habitats for right whales: off the coast of New England and off the southeast U.S. coast.
They used to populate the waters closer to Europe, but overhunting made them nearly extinct in the region. During the medieval period, the whales were hunted by the Basques. Later, their blubber helped further the Industrial Revolution. Back then, whale oil was used to grease factory machinery to keep it running smoothly.
By the early 1890s, right whales in the Atlantic were hunted to the brink of extinction. Since 1970, they have been listed as endangered. In 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List changed the North Atlantic right whale’s status to critically endangered.
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