Beluga Whale off Shields Pier Today!

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Paddlesac

Well-known member
Took myself down this morning for a bit of spinning and around about 12:45pm, I'd just cast out towards the north pier, when I spotted what I thought at first was either a big sheet of white polythene or a tarp in the water about 100yds off the end of the pier.

I was thinking that whatever it was, it was likely to end up wrapped around a propeller at some point, when it raised it's head and nose, then dipped back under and continued swimming along! It was a full size Beluga Whale:eek:

I tried and tried to get a decent shot of the thing but it was only ever on the surface for a couple of seconds at a time and was under for about five minutes between breaths.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To96_PUA9rM
It was definitely a Beluga, as it was all white with no markings and it was about 18ft long.

I managed to just catch a fleeting glimpse of it on video but it's not exactly "Attenborough" class!:red:


Anyway apart from spotting the whale there were only a tiny handful of mackerel caught, along with a few sprats!:D



cheers

Steve
 
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To hell with Mackerel indeed!

It sure is white, brilliant video whatever it is. Porbeagles, White Whales, amazing!
 
Well thats the first i`ve ever heard of a Beluga on this coast .Many years ago i worked on small trawlers/netters and never saw or heard of one. Our waters are certainly changing !!!
 
I've just passed my footage on to the BBC, whether they bother to use it is another matter but I heard mention on local radio of the sighting earlier today so we'll see:)

I can't get over how things have changed in the last 30 years or so down there:confused: I used to go down from Ryton ( on the bus and then the train!)every weekend when I was about 15 or 16 and don't think I caught a damn thing-ever! ( and rarely saw anyone else catch anything either) and certainly never saw any porpoise, dolphins, seals and most definitely no whales, of any description:D

cheers

Steve
 
Would agree with that. About a fortnight ago, I was fishing at Roker fist light, and there were twenty or so dolphins jumping around the pier, some only 5metres from it!

Not at all like the good old days...
 
Well spotted Steve, i'm not surprised with all the feed thats been in the water lately.. no signs of the yellowfins this year though ..
 
There were 2 Beluga off Warkworth on Sunday 30th and Monday 31st. Presumably the same animal(s) seen off South Shileds on Tuesday 1st.

Incredibly rare on the east coast, but there are records from Hadston in 1988 and the Durham coast in the early 90's. There's a historical record from the River Ouse in York as well :o
 
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