Observation of the Week
Ice: Marine Mammals’ Friend… and Foe
"The ice is starting to form": this observation is being made almost everywhere along the St. Lawrence of late. Its…
Surprising Numbers of Whales as 2020 Kicks Off
Blues, fins, humpbacks. Minke whales. Belugas. Even harbour porpoises! Not to mention thousands of harp seals and harbour seals. The…
A Few Seals and Minke Whales
With the onset of winter, observations are becoming fewer and farther between. Most cetaceans have migrated to the Caribbean or…
In Search of the Sperm Whale
November 27: In GREMM’s (Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals) offices in Tadoussac, staff members are busy working…
Dozens of Humpbacks and Thousands Of Seals Linger On
With the short days of November and the appearance of the first ice, observers on the water are growing more…
Observer Portraits: Christian Ramp
This article is part of a series of portraits of people involved in some way with whales on the North…
Observer Portraits: Paulette Landry
This article is part of a series of portraits of people involved in some way with whales on the North…
Leaving the Estuary
November 20, Cap de Bon-Désir in Les Bergeronnes: our collaborator Renaud Pintiaux settles down to take a few pictures of…
Observer Portraits: Jane-Anne Cormier
This article is part of a series of portraits of people involved in some way with whales on the North…
Observer Portraits: Guy Côté
This article is part of a series of portraits of people involved in some way with whales on the North…
Multiple Species in a Single Glance
For his last outing of the season, a recreational fisherman sets out in La Tabatière, in Quebec’s Basse-Côte-Nord region. While his…
Observer Portraits: Jacques Gélineau
This article is part of a series of portraits of people involved in some way with whales on the North…
Observer Portraits: Jean-Louis Frenette
Cet article fait partie d'une série de portraits de gens impliqués de près ou de loin avec les baleines en…
Observer Portrait: Sylvie Savard
This article is part of a series of portraits of people involved in some way with whales on the North…
Observer Portraits: Marie Karine Maltais
This article is part of a series of portraits of people involved in some way with whales on the North…
Observer Portraits: Huguette Thibeault
This article is part of a series of portraits of people involved in some way with whales on the North…
Portrait d’observatrice: Laurence Pagé, agente pour Parcs Canada dans le parc marin du Saguenay–Saint-Laurent
Cet article fait partie d'une série de portraits de gens impliqués de près ou de loin avec les baleines en…
Pilot Whales?
Two observers, one in Les Escoumins (north shore), the other in Baie-des-Sables (south shore), asked the following question this week:…
Autumn is for Humpbacks
Seven black-and-white tails rise into the air one after the other before disappearing into the dark river. “It’s a ballet…
Rumba!
A three-way ballet… a race in which body touches body. All around the massive but elegant blue whales, water splashes,…
Whales in the Storm
The sighting map appears a little sparse this week. Have all the whales left? Not necessarily. Weather conditions prevented many…
Humpbacks Aplenty and Blue Whale Tails!
A long-time observer and former resident of Tadoussac sets out on a whale-watching cruise on September 1. The skyscape reflects…
Summer not quite over for the whales
August 28: A bright-eyed naturalist returns to the wharf in Percé. No sooner does the boat leave the docks when…
Thirteen Humpback Whales and Their Little Ones
We often talk about endangered species, but we rarely emphasize how well other species are doing. And humpback whale populations…
Out of the Ordinary
August 7: At the lookout in Baie Sainte-Marguerite in the Saguenay Fjord National Park, a naturalist scans the bay for…
Cetacean Acrobats
The pointed head and long, slender body rise to the sky like a rocket before the animal lands heavily on…
Tiny Calf Will Become Giant
Calves spend their time learning to swim, hunt and move with agility by imitating their mother and other adults. Within…
Noteworthy Fish and Whales Galore
Last week, it was white-sided dolphins in Gaspé Bay. This week, killer whales, the largest species in the dolphin family,…
First Dolphins of the Year and a Great-Grandmother
Measuring 2 to 2.7 metres long, their toned bodies are black, white, grey and yellowish-beige. Atlantic white-sided dolphins! Fifteen or…
Fins on the Horizon!
Although whales were scarce in the Bonaventure Island sector last July, this year they have been plentiful. “We're spoiled,” says…
Tic Tac Toe, Snowball et Leprechaun
Le 16 juin en après-midi, la mer est lisse et silencieuse devant les Grandes-Bergeronnes. Soudain, deux larges dos noirs apparaissent.…
Minke Whales Everywhere
From the Gaspé to the Côte-Nord, minke whales have been appearing in the waves in recent days. In the St.…
Grab your binoculars and let’s go!
Tuque, mittens, binoculars, one field guide for birds and another for whales: a couple is gearing up for a road…
Return of the Belugas
March 24: “They’re back!” says our collaborator Renaud Pintiaux. From a coastal road in Port-au-Saumon, not far from Saint-Siméon, he…
“First of the Year”
“My first whale for 2019!” exclaims a whale-watching outfitter in the Gaspé Peninsula. His first observation was made through his…
Space to breath
On March 6, while walking on the beach near the Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse, an observer noted the presence of harbour seals…
More Blue Whales!
The mild weather in the early part of the week offered comfortable conditions for venturing outside and contemplating the river.…
Marine mammals on the ice and humpbacks in the Caribbean
Off the Gaspé Peninsula town of Newport, 50 or so seals bask on the ice. To observe them, it’s best to…
Godbout is where the action is!
A tiny village of just over 300 inhabitants, Godbout is located in the Côte-Nord (North Shore) region between Baie-Comeau and…
February Blues
It was a perfect day for whale-watching. Light winds, calm sea, light conditions that were neither blinding nor too dim.…
Pinnipeds Galore!
A herd of harp seals is enjoying a break in the ice cover off the docks in Les Escoumins. The…
Like a tornado of snow
The list of observations this week reads more like a weather report: sea smoke, ice floes, gusts, snow squalls, howling…
A Rare Blue Whale
January 12: After weeks of seeing nothing but drifting ice and seals on the move, a large spout draws the…
A New Year of Observations Begins
As 2018 was winding down, one observer in Bonaventure in the Gaspé Peninsula observes three tall puffs, all appearing at…
Quelques jets comme un au revoir
Cap-d’Espoir, December 15. The black backs of two humpback whales emerge from the dark water. Their rounded spouts and the…
Balloon-shaped spouts
December 8: Gaspé Bay is glowing in the sun. A balloon-shaped spout erupts from the water surface, followed by a…
When The Waves Calm Down
The extreme weather of the past few days has not been very conducive to marine observations. In addition to repeated…
Three Big Blues
“Three big blues!” exclaims an observer. He observes the three majestic animals Sunday morning 3 or 4 nautical miles south…
A Sperm Whale, Again!
We all have our favourite species, including our favourite whales. For our collaborator Renaud Pintiaux, “The sperm whale is a…
Fewer Eyes on the Water, but Whales Remain
“Can killer whales be seen in Gaspé Bay?” asks a kayaker out at sea with a group near Grande-Grave, off…
Beluga Bonanza
Yesterday a visitor at the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre (CIMM) saw several belugas across the Saguenay Fjord through light flurries.…
Red Foliage and Colourful Backs
The cruise ship Narval III of the whale-watching company Croisières Baie de Gaspé docked for the last time on October 11, and…
Chills and Thrills : Autumn Sightings
On the wharf used by the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, a thin coat of frost glistens. “Time to migrate south!”…
A Forest of Spouts
On September 23, no sooner does the cruise begin when the captain yells out “Breach!” Off Les Bergeronnes, the 15-metre long…
Full Breach!
Thirty-three! Thirty-three times, a minke whales breached before a dumbstruck observer standing on the pink granite of Pointe Rouge overlooking Tadoussac…
Whale- “Listening”
With a hesitation in her step, she walks down the ramp to the boat launch in the Tadoussac marina, where a Zodiac…
September Blues
Just before students head back to school and knitting season returns, the long Labour Day weekend has allowed thousands of…