'Incredibly rare' whale sighting raises concerns

A whale which "shouldn't be anywhere near our coast" has been spotted during a wildlife cruise.

A Facebook post from the Mevagissey to Fowey Ferry said people on a boat off the Cornish coast saw a Sowerby's beaked whale.

Sowerby's beaked whales, which can grow up to 18ft (5.5m) in length, are predominately found in the eastern area of the North Atlantic and are "seldom seen at sea" as they dive down deep, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation charity said.

Dan Jarvis, from British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said it was "incredibly rare" to have a sighting so close to the coast and the animal might be in trouble.

"They shouldn't be anywhere near our coast at all as it's much too shallow and outside of their regular habitat, so they do tend to struggle when they come close to the coast," Jarvis said.

"There is a chance it could be in some sort of difficulty if it does come close to the coast and we might need to be prepared to respond to that."

Whale and Dolphin Conservation said little was known about the behaviour of Sowerby's beaked whales.

Toni Dowrick, who was taking part in the wildlife cruise on 4 October when the whale was spotted, said at first people were "puzzled" about what the animal was.

"We were asking 'is it a dolphin, a tuna or a whale?'," she said.

Dowrick said while it might have been a concern to see the creature in an area where sightings were rare, it was a highlight of the cruise.

She said: "It was just one of those sightings and moments that's up there as the best in the year."

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