• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Marine Dimensions

Connecting people with our marine world

  • About Us
  • About the Wildlife
    • What can we find on the beach?
    • Ocean Animal Fact Files
      • Sharks and Rays
        • Small Spotted Catshark Fact File
        • Bull Huss Fact File
        • Thornback Ray Fact File
        • Spotted Ray Fact File
        • Small Eyed Ray Fact File
        • Blonde Ray Fact File
        • Cuckoo Ray Fact File
        • Undulate Ray Fact File
        • Flapper Skate Fact File
        • White Skate Fact File
  • Marine Conservation Projects
    • Purse Search Ireland
      • What is a Mermaid’s Purse?
      • Identifying Shark and Ray Eggcases
        • How to Identify a Mermaid’s Purse
      • Reporting your Mermaid’s Purse Sightings
      • Mermaid’s Purse Sightings Form
    • Seal Pup Rescue in Bray
    • What to do if you find a seal pup on the beach
    • What to do if you find a whale, dolphin or porpoise on the beach
  • Marine Biology Careers
    • Marine Biology Career FAQs
      • Do Marine Biologists Have to SCUBA Dive?
    • Marine Biology and Wildlife Conservation – Paid Jobs
    • Marine Biology Internships and Conservation Volunteering in Ireland
  • Resources
    • Resources for Teachers
      • Explorers Education Programme
      • Elasmo Shark Education Programme
    • Resources for Beachcombing, Tidepooling and Rockpooling
      • Books and Field Guides
        • A Beachcomber’s Guide to Shells and other Wildlife Found on the Seashore
      • Tide times
    • Reports and Publications
  • Course and Workshops
    • The virtual Marine Experience workshop
    • The Marine Explorer workshop
    • Kids Sea Camps
    • The virtual Introduction to Marine Biology for Teens course
      • Marine Biology for Teens Course Resources
  • Contact Us

What to do if you find a whale, dolphin or porpoise on the beach

July 15, 2020 By Sarah Varian

Porpoise--Phycoena-Stranding-Brittas--SarahVarian-MarineDimensions
One of our biologists examines a dead stranded porpoise on Brittas Bay Beach in Ireland.

What to do if you find a dead whale, dolphin or porpoise on the beach

If you find a dead whale or dolphin on the beach, you should take the following actions:

  • Call your local Marine Wildlife Rescue operator immediately and take their advice. You should also inform the authorities responsible for managing the beach, including the police.
  • Do not touch the animal or try to move it.
  • Try to keep onlookers and dog walkers away from the animal until the authorities arrive as there is a risk of the animal’s decomposing body becoming a health hazard.

Once you have reported your sighting to your local wildlife operator (see list below), a marine biologist may then visit the site to take a sample that may help to find out more about how the animal died. The local authority will then set about disposing of the carcass so that it does not create a health hazard for the public while it is decomposing.

What to do if you find a live whale, dolphin or porpoise on the beach

You should take the following actions if you come across a live stranded whale or dolphin on the beach:

  • Call your local Marine Wildlife Rescue operator immediately and take their advice. You should also inform the authorities responsible for managing the beach, including the police.
  • Do not touch the animal or try to move it.
  • Try to keep onlookers and dog walkers away from the animal until the authorities arrive. Keep disturbance to a minimum.
  • Do not post photos of the animal on social media, especially busy forums, as this will attract more visitors. Not everyone is informed about how to behave around marine animals in distress.
  • Observe the animal from a distance of at least 50 feet. 

Once you have alerted your local wildlife rescue operator (see list below), they will most likely send a team of volunteers out to the site. However, many wildlife NGOs run on low capacity and if there are no volunteers available, you may well be asked to assist further.

Whale and dolphin rescue missions always require the good will and assistance of the public.

List of Marine Wildlife Rescue Operators – Whale and Dolphin Stranding Contacts

Europe

Republic of Ireland: Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Cetacean Strandings Scheme

Northern Ireland/UK: DAERA Marine and Fisheries Division

Britain/UK: Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP)

Filed Under: Taking Care of Our Oceans, Whales and Dolphins

Primary Sidebar

Learn more and be part of our community!

We get a buzz from connecting people from around the world with our fascinating marine world, especially when it comes to Ireland’s rich natural heritage!  Why not join our community and sign up to our mailing list? We would love to keep you posted and you can of course unsubscribe at any time.

Rocky-Shore-Name-Trail-FSC

Choosing the Right Field Guide for the Seashore

The number one resource that we recommend through our work are field guides that we use for identifying shells and animals on seashore excursions. There are lots of guides out there to choose from but you will need to find a guide or species identification key that is right for you.

Check out our virtual Marine Experience workshop!

Find out more or make a booking at: The Virtual Marine Experience

Featured posts

Beach-Seashells-Ireland-SarahVarian-MarineDimensions

A Beachcomber’s Guide to Shells and other Wildlife Found on the Seashore

Many of us have enjoyed a stroll along a beautiful beach at some stage and we all have stories about the interesting things that we've found. In fact, the seashore is a great place to start learning about life in our oceans! A short walk along the wrack line can provide us with clues as to what's living in the sea close by. Natural things commonly found washed up on the beach … [Read More...] about A Beachcomber’s Guide to Shells and other Wildlife Found on the Seashore

marine-biologist

Do Marine Biologists Have to SCUBA Dive?

One question that we frequently get asked by students considering a career in marine biology is whether they need to learn to SCUBA dive. Marine biologists do not have to be able to dive.  Many roles are lab or office based and field work frequently involves surveys which are boat based or on the shoreline.  You actually don't even need to know how to swim!  Ofcourse, it is … [Read More...] about Do Marine Biologists Have to SCUBA Dive?

Mermaids-Purse-Diagram-SarahMolloy-MarineDimensions

How to Identify a Mermaid’s Purse

Collecting and identifying mermaids' purses on the shoreline can be a fun activity for the whole family, and although some skate and ray eggcases can be difficult to identify, there are a number of species that can be easily recognized without the eye of a specialist.  In fact, mermaid's purse spotting is fast becoming a popular beachcombing activity around the world, with citizen scientists … [Read More...] about How to Identify a Mermaid’s Purse



Copyright © Marine Dimensions 2018-2022. All rights reserved. Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Marine Dimensions is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Email: admin@marinedimensions.ie, Tel +353 1 2828876