Dolphin at the Bridge

flan59

Saw a young Dolphin or Porpoise in the river just above the bridge this evening. It stayed around the area for most of the evening as the tide was flooding. Not sure you see them so far up river normally and close to the city.

Dicky Pride

Did you take a picture of this unbelievable occurrence?

flan59

It was a little too far out and only the dorsal fin was showing any time it surfaced. Got some great views with binoculars.

Sully

Heard it was a shark.

decies

I heard it was a very small whale .

JohnFalstaff

I heard it was a man in a shark suit who looked like a dolphin.

.Henry Sellers.

decies wrote: »

I heard it was a very small whale .

You heard right, it was a bicycle whale... :pac:

wellboytoo

its your big fish boi, watch the film and go for it.

Hifive

Ha ha you might laugh! but I've been using the river for years (leisure) and have twice come across shoals of porpoises quite far up the estuary. Never further up than Cheekpoint mind, and always in small groups, so it's not entirely impossible that an individual became separated from the others and got lost.
They are similar to dolphins but considerably smaller and their snout is a different shape. Also they don't seem to play with the boat the way dolphins do, but tend to leg it (fin it?:)) as soon as the see you.

Oh yeah, one of the lads did catch a small blue shark off the Hook about 10 years ago:eek:
It was only about 4/5 ft long but still looked fairly dangerous trashing about on the back of the boat. Put it this nobody on the boat was volunteering to take the hook out for him!

longshanks

Is the sale still on in Peter France?


Dolphins love a good sale.

seven_eleven

Wow...if this is true, then thats totally amazing!
I see otters (or something similar) pop their slimey heads out of the water the whole time, but a dolphin/shark/whale? Thats mad. I fear it may be distressed if it has come up this far.

I always imagined the fish population to be pretty low in the river, seeing as the river flows extremely strong, with 0 visibility and silt coupled with pollution.

Hifive

seven_eleven wrote: »

I always imagined the fish population to be pretty low in the river, seeing as the river flows extremely strong, with 0 visibility and silt coupled with pollution.

Nah, thers rakes of mullet in it, they seem to thrive on the sh1t. Mind you, mullet are f-all use to anything other than otters and the like.

MitchKoobski

Sorry, that was me.

longshanks

Hifive wrote: »

Nah, thers rakes of mullet in it, they seem to thrive on the sh1t. Mind you, mullet are f-all use to anything other than otters and the like.

A friend of mine tells me there were sea trout being caught from the quay in front of the brewery recently, and some pirates I know reckon thar be brigands what once got bass near th'Red Iron bridge aharrr.
It's not that unusual to see sea monsters upriver.

wellboytoo

Hifive wrote: »

Nah, thers rakes of mullet in it, they seem to thrive on the sh1t. Mind you, mullet are f-all use to anything other than otters and the like.

You wouldn't have have said that in the seventies!

CardBordWindow

I heard it was here for The Gathering.

Finnbar01

longshanks wrote: »

A friend of mine tells me there were sea trout being caught from the quay in front of the brewery recently, and some pirates I know reckon thar be brigands what once got bass near th'Red Iron bridge aharrr.
It's not that unusual to see sea monsters upriver.

I had a few friends that used to fish up near the red Iron bridge for bass. Usually had to do it in the night time as well.

I've also seen salmon in the Suir and my dad told me he saw on Osprey up by the Mount Congreve stretch years back.

spankmemunkey

seven_eleven wrote: »

Wow...if this is true, then thats totally amazing!
I see otters (or something similar) pop their slimey heads out of the water the whole time, but a dolphin/shark/whale? Thats mad. I fear it may be distressed if it has come up this far.

I always imagined the fish population to be pretty low in the river, seeing as the river flows extremely strong, with 0 visibility and silt coupled with pollution.

The Water is polluted?

seven_eleven

spankmemunkey wrote: »

The Water is polluted?

Raw sewage and other waste from factories unfortunately. There's lots of factories along the river that have pipes dumping out into the river.
Also, the tide brings in a lot of crap too. But its probably no more polluted than any other major river in Ireland.

Except for the shopping trolley monsters that be lurking!

Finnbar01

seven_eleven wrote: »

Raw sewage and other waste from factories unfortunately. There's lots of factories along the river that have pipes dumping out into the river.
Also, the tide brings in a lot of crap too. But its probably no more polluted than any other major river in Ireland.

Except for the shopping trolley monsters that be lurking!

I thought dumping raw sewage and other waste into the river would be illegal by now, what with all the EU directives etc?

spankmemunkey

Finnbar01 wrote: »

I thought dumping raw sewage and other waste into the river would be illegal by now, what with all the EU directives etc?

I have to agree here, I think that is a bit of an urban legend to say that factories waste chemicals and Raw Sewage are being pumped into the river? I mean you cant just pump raw sewage along with all the other chemicals that get thrown down toilets and then factory waste, Firstly its illegal and the EPA im sure check that water quality every few months or so, If its tidal then fair enough but i doubt there are places purposely pumping sewage and chemicals into the water, its against the law and just plain wrong.

seven_eleven

spankmemunkey wrote: »

I have to agree here, I think that is a bit of an urban legend to say that factories waste chemicals and Raw Sewage are being pumped into the river? I mean you cant just pump raw sewage along with all the other chemicals that get thrown down toilets and then factory waste, Firstly its illegal and the EPA im sure check that water quality every few months or so, If its tidal then fair enough but i doubt there are places purposely pumping sewage and chemicals into the water, its against the law and just plain wrong.

I'm just going by what I see and hear. A poster from the rowing club ( or something like that) on here said that there is sewage in the river.
Also, factories definitely dump something in there. I frequently see trails of waste-water coming from infront of the guinness factory.

also, some of the factories in abbeylands dispose of stuff in there too.

CardBordWindow

What do you think goes out the pipe that's on the beach in Tramore?
It's treated sewage. AFAIK it's Phase 1 treated, which basically means it gets chopped up, that's all.
When's the last time Tramore had a blue flag?

dazedmom

Tramore were given the blue flag in 2011 and 2012 and will more than likely keep it again this year !

CardBordWindow wrote: »

What do you think goes out the pipe that's on the beach in Tramore?
It's treated sewage. AFAIK it's Phase 1 treated, which basically means it gets chopped up, that's all.
When's the last time Tramore had a blue flag?

old gregg

I heard it was Frank.

deisemum

CardBordWindow wrote: »

What do you think goes out the pipe that's on the beach in Tramore?
It's treated sewage. AFAIK it's Phase 1 treated, which basically means it gets chopped up, that's all.
When's the last time Tramore had a blue flag?

If you're swimming out there you're going through the motions.

Jason Todd

deisemum wrote: »

If you're swimming out there you're going through the motions.

Eeeeewwwwwww. :eek:

wellboytoo

This stuff would have been true 10 years ago but now Waterford City Carrick Clonmell all have proper treatment plants with chopping aeration sediment ponds the whole works, so what you see in the Suir is by andd large sediment washed off the land, it is relatively very clean, all outfalls have beeen picked up and put into the treatments plants.
Tramore is almost similar, only for an area near the pier that has problems in high rainfall,and sometimes volume in the peak(sic) summer season swamps it but by and large treated but not to the same level as the towns on the Suir.

b0ardsUser

I heard it's Keith Barry's latest en-devour

Max Powers

dazedmom wrote: »

Tramore were given the blue flag in 2011 and 2012 and will more than likely keep it again this year !

the bad beaches were named on the radio this morning as it happens, none in Waterford, which is nice.

seven_eleven

I dont know, last time I went swimming tramore the beach was littered with dog ****, and down by the pier was nothing but a blanket of rubbish and several dead animals.

Down towards the cleaner parts (surf spot) there was still rubbish in the water, random food wrappers and other things. Tramore is not exactly known for its cleanliness Blue flag or not, I wonder what the criteria for one it.

Hifive

[QUOTE=seven_eleven;Also, factories definitely dump something in there. I frequently see trails of waste-water coming from infront of the guinness factory. [/QUOTE]


I worked for the brewery for 17 years and I can assure you that any discharges from the plant are clean as a whistle.
The EPA (Enviromental Protection Agency) practically lived in the place.

seven_eleven

Hifive wrote: »

I worked for the brewery for 17 years and I can assure you that any discharges from the plant are clean as a whistle.
The EPA (Enviromental Protection Agency) practically lived in the place.

Good to know!