HUNTING whales is fast becoming a new industry off the North Yorkshire coast – but only for the best of reasons.

A series of sightings in recent days has marked the beginning of Yorkshire’s much anticipated whale-watching season - with an impressive underwater cast also waiting in the wings.

Tour operators have reported early encounters with minke whales from Whitby, while elsewhere white-beaked dolphins have been entertaining offshore wildlife watchers.

Sightings of the 30ft, five-tonne minkes have even been made from land at Long Nab, south of Robin Hood’s Bay.

Whale watching has been a steadily growing tourism activity in recent years, initially starting in Whitby - ironically the former home of the region’s whaling industry.

However today the hunt for whales is of a different kind as cameras rather than harpoons are focused on the huge animals each autumn from August to October, as they follow large movements of fish along the coast.

Tom Marshall, who heads up the destination marketing initiative the Yorkshire Nature Triangle, said: “As the summer showstoppers such as puffins begin to leave our clifftops in July, there’s a real sense of anticipation as we then await the first sightings of whales, and this year certainly hasn’t disappointed.

“We’ve had amazing reports from the team at Real Staithes of pods of up to 10 white-beaked dolphins bow-riding off their small vessel, whilst Whitby Whale Watching’s early-bird Finding Fins trips have had up to four minke whales showing superbly around their boat.”

Information on the wildlife boat trips available along the Yorkshire coast is available at yorkshirenaturetriangle.org.uk/boat-trips