SCIENTISTS at marine mammal research charity, Sea Watch Foundation, have been alerted to a series of unusual whale sightings around Wales this past week, including New Quay and Aberdyfi.

The organisation encourages members of the public to report any sightings of whales, dolphins and porpoises all around the UK.

This usually follows patterns of species being spotted in areas where they can be expected.

However, due to the nature of these incredible water-bound species, there are often exceptions to the rule and this week’s sightings around Wales have shown just that!

The species in question is the long-finned pilot whale, well known because of the exploitation of the animals during organised drives in the Faroe Islands.

Many activists would like to see an end to these ‘subsidence’ hunts which take place on an annual basis, and radio-tracking studies have shown that pilot whales observed in the Faroes may travel along the shelf edge to waters west of the British Isles and beyond.

Although there are past records of pilot whales spotted around Wales, it remains a very unusual occurrence, and particularly to have sightings on four separate occasions at four different locations.

The first sighting (of five pilot whales) was made on 17 August in the central Irish Sea, 47 miles out from Aberdyfi in Gwynedd.

See this week’s Cambrian News for the full story