Minke whale: Angler enjoys rare encounter in English Channel

A antheral who shared a uncommon brushwood with a minke whale successful the English Channel portion sportfishing has said the acquisition was "magical".

Dave Duggan and his person Luke Edir spotted the cetacean portion retired astatine oversea disconnected Eastbourne connected Saturday.

Mr Duggan, from St Leonards-on-Sea, said the whale was astir 25ft (8m) successful magnitude and had stayed alongside his vessel for astir 5 minutes.

Whale adept Prof Peter Evans said specified sightings were antithetic successful the Channel.

"In the occidental English Channel, the taxon is regular arsenic acold eastbound arsenic South Devon crossed to the Channel Isles, but eastbound of there, minkes are precise scarce," helium said.

Mr Duggan, who often fishes successful the area, said it had been "an honour" to spot the creature.

He added that portion they had seen dolphins successful the waters earlier during their regular sportfishing trips, it was the archetypal clip helium had seen a whale.

Prof Evans, who is the manager of the Sea Watch Foundation and honorary prof astatine Bangor University's School of Ocean Studies, said helium lone knew of 4 erstwhile sightings of the taxon successful the portion successful the past 20 years.

He said a "relatively tiny number" of minke whales walk the wintertime successful UK waters.

"Most minkes hap offshore successful the North Atlantic betwixt November and March," helium said.

"They commencement to migrate into support seas astir Britain successful April, but with the large bulk of the colonisation occurring successful the cardinal and north-western North Sea, the Northern Isles, and successful the waters westbound of Britain."

He added that minke whales provender connected soil eels, sprat, young herring, different "shoaling tiny fishes" and zooplankton and determination "must beryllium bully nutrient for this carnal to bring it into this area".