Killer whales spotted off NI coast

Killer whales have distinctively huge dorsal fins

Killer whales have been spotted off the coast of Northern Ireland, some close to the shore where oblivious sunbathers enjoy the summer weather.

They have come to hunt for their staple diet of salmon and seals in increasingly large numbers.

Boat skipper Brian Meharg is one man who has had a close encounter while on a trip across the North Channel to Scotland.

"Everything was going well, and I was steering the boat at the time when I noticed on my starboard side this massive fin about 100 metres away," he says.

"It was quite a shock because I've seen quite a lot in my time - dolphins, porpoises, basking sharks - but this fin was four or five feet out of the water and travelling at quite a speed.

'Not peckish'

"It just shot straight past us and on towards the Isle of Man. I'm glad to say it wasn't peckish at the time."

Killer whales can be as long as nine metres, but it's not just their size which can be intimidating.

They have a perhaps unfair reputation as being dangerous as they aren't easily intimidated Gary Burrows Environment and Heritage Service

Their movement through the water underlines their superiority of the seas - the distinctive dorsal fin arcs up through the surface and then below again with an awesome power.

Gary Burrows of the Environment and Heritage Service says they have been spotted all around the Irish coast in the past three years.

"They've been seen in Lough Foyle, Whitepark Bay and as recently as four weeks ago off Portmuck," he says.

This killer whale was pictured 10 miles off the County Down coast

"They're pretty much unmistakable - in the male, the dorsal fin can be six or seven feet in height, so there's very few whales or dolphins you would confuse it with."

He says that despite their scary name, we have little to fear from the giant mammals.

"They certainly have earned a reputation for being dangerous, partly because they feed on other large mammals such as seals or porpoises, which we do find close to the shore.

"They are also highly intelligent and inquisitive animals.

"Unlike whales or dolphins, they won't be put off by boat traffic - they will come close.

"They have a perhaps unfair reputation as being dangerous as they aren't easily intimidated."

BBC Northern Ireland's rural affairs correspondent Martin Cassidy said that there have been no reports of whales attacking swimmers or boats, and indeed, we pose more of a risk to them.

Brian Meharg had a brush with a killer whale while on a boat trip

"Fishing gear poses the greatest danger, as they could become ensnared in the fine mesh of fishermen's nets," he said.

"Pollution can be another problem for them - it comes with the territory of being top of the food chain, as chemicals consumed by their prey all get passed on to the whale.

"Conservationists are encouraged by the numbers of killer whales now being seen.

"Is global warming driving them further north in search of colder waters?

"It is too early to say, but the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group is collating sightings - if you do spot any killer whales this summer you can visit their website, www.iwdg.ie, and get in touch."