A humpback whale has been recorded in the Shannon estuary for the first time.
The whale was first spotted by a passenger travelling on the ferry between Tarbert in Co Kerry and Killimer in Co Clare.
The latest sighting was yesterday evening near Moneypoint nearly 30km up the estuary.
Simon Berrow of the Irish Whale and Dolphin group said that it was the first recorded sighting of a humpback whale in the estuary.
"A humpback whale in the estuary is unprecedented. We would never have believed it if we hadn't seen it ourselves.
"We have seen it up as far as the ferry crossing and down as far as Scattery Island. We believe it is a juvenile whale who may have found a new feeding ground for itself," Mr Berrows said.
The group has expressed concern about a possible ship strike on the whale as the estuary is a busy shipping corridor.
It has contacted Shannon Foynes Port Company, the largest bulk port company in Ireland which operates in the estuary, to ask them to inform ship pilots of the whale and to request that the ships reduce their speed.
Mr Berrow said there are lots of ships travelling in the estuary and the company has been asked to request ships "reduce their speed to below 14 knots as this reduces the risk of ship collision greatly, though not eliminating it".
"It would be the responsible thing to do while this amazingly unusual event is happening in the estuary," he said.
In a statement, Shannon Foynes Port Company said it was aware of the whale sighting and that any further sightings by its staff or ships would be reported to the IWDG.
The whale is feeding, and it is believed that it was attracted to the Shannon Estuary by shoaling fish.
Humpback whales have increasingly been sighted in Irish waters in recent years, and they can range in length from 14 to 17 metres and can weigh up to 40 tonnes.
At least 92 individual humpback whales have been recorded in Irish waters using photo-identification since 1999.
Many of these return to the same areas of the southwest year after year, and some have even been recorded over three decades.
The whales return to more subtropical waters in late winter.
Humpback whales are popular for whale watchers due to their distinctive surface and breaching behaviour.
