CI Air Search deployed to monitor dead whale
CHANNEL Islands Air Search was deployed to monitor a dead whale on Thursday evening.
Crew manager John Fitzgerald said that while the whale may not cause damage to nearby ships, there was a safety aspect.
‘It was about 15 to 20 miles off the south-west coast and we were offered it as a training exercise,’ he said.
‘I think someone on a vessel must have reported it to the Coastguard, and they got in touch with us.’
Mr Fitzgerald said that the whale was about 15 metres long, but he did not know what species it was.
Assistant harbour master Kieran Higgs acted as the Guernsey Coastguard search and rescue mission co-ordinator for the exercise.
‘On 5 June a French aircraft reported what appeared to be a dead whale approximately 20 miles west of Guernsey,’ he said.
‘Guernsey Coastguard ran some modelling using search and rescue software to identify the path the deceased whale may be following based on accurate tidal and wind data.
‘On 6 June at approximately 6pm CIAS were tasked to locate the whale of which they were successful following another positive ID from another French aircraft.’
He said that the whale was now about 12 miles off the south-west coast of Guernsey, and was unlikely to beach on any of the Channel Islands.
‘The Coastguard will continue to monitor the situation, as it could pose a hazard to small leisure vessels should they collide with the partially submerged mammal,’ he said.
In the past minke whales, pilot whales and humpbacks whales have been spotted in local waters.
