Members of ICE-SAR from towns on Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland have been busy since yesterday afternoon attempting to herd a large pod of pilot whales, counting several dozen individuals, out of Kolgrafarfjörður fjord.
UPDATE: The pod was herded out of the fjord on Monday evening. Large pilot whale pod leave Kolgrafarfjörður fjord, locals breathe a sigh of relief
The opening to the fjord is both narrow and shallow, creating conditions where fish and whales can easily get stuck in the fjord. A bridge over the entrance to the fjord creates an additional barrier. The whales and the conditions in the fjord can be seen clearly in the video below.
The whales swam into the fjord on Sunday, drawing large crowds of onlookers who watched the pod play in the water close to the shore. Due to the narrow opening to the fjord the entrance experiences strong tidal effects. As the tide comes in the ocean rushes into the fjord, creating a strong current under the bridge which can make it difficult for fish and whales to cross freely in and out of the fjord.
As pilot whales are known to beach themselves when in distress, local ICE-SAR companies were called out to attempt to herd the animals out of the fjord. According to the National Broadcasting Service ICE-SAR and local farmers and fishermen had managed to herd all the whales out of the fjord by nine yesterday evening. The local news site Vísir reports that ten people on two zodiac boats shepherded the whales under the bridge to the cheer of a large group of onlookers whe had gathered to watch the show.
Unfortunately the animals returned back into the fjord over night, as a bus driver spotted the animals back in the fjord at eight in the morning. A spokesman for ICE-SAR told the local news site Vísir that the whales would now be left to their own devices, at least as long as they do not show any signs of swimming onto the shore. If the animals are determined to swim back into the fjord after being escorted out further rescue attempts would be a Sisyphean struggle, he told Vísir.
Members of ICE-SAR from towns on Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland have been busy since yesterday afternoon attempting to herd a large pod of pilot whales, counting several dozen individuals, out of Kolgrafarfjörður fjord.
UPDATE: The pod was herded out of the fjord on Monday evening. Large pilot whale pod leave Kolgrafarfjörður fjord, locals breathe a sigh of relief
The opening to the fjord is both narrow and shallow, creating conditions where fish and whales can easily get stuck in the fjord. A bridge over the entrance to the fjord creates an additional barrier. The whales and the conditions in the fjord can be seen clearly in the video below.
The whales swam into the fjord on Sunday, drawing large crowds of onlookers who watched the pod play in the water close to the shore. Due to the narrow opening to the fjord the entrance experiences strong tidal effects. As the tide comes in the ocean rushes into the fjord, creating a strong current under the bridge which can make it difficult for fish and whales to cross freely in and out of the fjord.
As pilot whales are known to beach themselves when in distress, local ICE-SAR companies were called out to attempt to herd the animals out of the fjord. According to the National Broadcasting Service ICE-SAR and local farmers and fishermen had managed to herd all the whales out of the fjord by nine yesterday evening. The local news site Vísir reports that ten people on two zodiac boats shepherded the whales under the bridge to the cheer of a large group of onlookers whe had gathered to watch the show.
Unfortunately the animals returned back into the fjord over night, as a bus driver spotted the animals back in the fjord at eight in the morning. A spokesman for ICE-SAR told the local news site Vísir that the whales would now be left to their own devices, at least as long as they do not show any signs of swimming onto the shore. If the animals are determined to swim back into the fjord after being escorted out further rescue attempts would be a Sisyphean struggle, he told Vísir.
