Winter waters around Alderney teeming with life

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 06:35

Large pods of bottlenose dolphins, shoals of bluefin tuna and even a humpback whale have been spotted around Alderney this winter.

The Alderney Wildlife Trust says winter is always a good season for marine mammal sightings around the most northern Channel Island, but this winter has been extraordinary.

AWT ecologists conduct year-round monitoring of the island’s waters and have built a comprehensive photographic record of marine life - with contributions from kayakers and local fishermen.

Senior Ecological Consultant Alex Purdie says the humpback whale, that was recently sighted to the northwest of the Casquets lighthouse, is the first recorded in two years.

"It was possibly here because the populations are slowly recovering, following whaling ending.

Possibly also these animals might be having to search for food in larger areas because climate change is causing fish stocks to change, which might be driving them to come into our waters.

The marine food web needs its top predators and these guys are great examples of that.

They’re enigmatic, it’s lovely when you see them out on the coast and they are a sign of a healthy ecosystem."

Fantastic boat trip back from Gurnsey today, didn’t expect to see this ,just northwest of Alderney
Posted by Clem Carter on Thursday, January 16, 2025