Magazine

Baleen Whales… and a Beaked Whale
It's been an action-packed week! A beaked whale made a rare but disturbing visit off the coast of Les Bergeronnes. Blue whales are another highlight with the arrival of B246 (a.k.a. “Jaw-Breaker”), plus four individuals in the estuary and a sighting of three individuals in the gulf, not to mention the discreet detour of this giant to Gaspé Bay. These waters have been mostly occupied by two humpback whales, while the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park has been hosting two fin…
Field Notes

California: Marine Life with Flair!
Last March, I had the opportunity to travel to Morro Bay, a small seaside village in central California. The sea…

Coastal Bird Monitoring in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park
By : Pierre-Alexandre Dumas, coécrit avec Eliza-Jane Morin It’s 8 a.m. and I'm joining my team at the Parks Canada office…

Field Notes: Whale Bone Hodgepodge!
This day off promises to be a special one. Together with Yael, another one of GREMM’s seasonal workers this year,…
Field Report

FOREL: At the Innovative Crossroads of Science, Culture, and Education
We are two GREMM employees who had the privilege to board FOREL, a stately sailing vessel entirely dedicated to scientific…

Cleaning skeletons: an expertise unlike any other!
June 11: The day didn’t begin aboard the Antarès or any of GREMM’s other boats, but rather in Michel Martin’s…
Hot Topics

Round-up of 2025 North Atlantic Right Whale News
After being hunted for hundreds of years, the North Atlantic right whale currently faces a number of threats, including entanglements…

ROUND-UP OF 2024 NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE NEWS
After being hunted for centuries, today’s North Atlantic right whales face many challenges, including entanglements with fishing gear, ship strikes…

Round-up of 2023 North Atlantic Right Whale News
After being hunted for centuries, today’s North Atlantic right whales face many challenges, including entanglements with fishing gear, ship strikes…
Marine Mammal Emergencies

SPRING 2025: A BUSY CALENDAR FOR QMMERN
The year has been a busy one so far for QMMERN, with numerous cases of harassment and disturbance of seal…

Beluga Mortality Report : Few Carcasses Found in 2024
Only six beluga carcasses were found in 2024, the lowest figure in several years. By comparison, there were 17 carcasses…

What can we learn from research on St. Lawrence seals?
On a beach along the St. Lawrence lies the carcass of a harbour seal. Standing out against the brownish seaweed…
News

Dreaming about Whales: An Anthropological Perspective
We took advantage of renowned anthropologist David Jaclin’s visit to Tadoussac with his research team at the start of the…

Harmful Algal Blooms: A Microscopic Problem!
For over four months, the South Australia coast has been grappling with a massive algal bloom that shows no signs…

New Study Sheds Light on Minke Whales in the St. Lawrence
The minke whale is an impressive cetacean that adapts well to changes in its environment by capitalizing on the prey…
Observation of the Week

Baleen Whales… and a Beaked Whale
It's been an action-packed week! A beaked whale made a rare but disturbing visit off the coast of Les Bergeronnes.…

Big Visit in the St. Lawrence
Literally and figuratively, whales are a big deal in the St. Lawrence. This week, blue whales B275 (a.k.a. Phoenix) and…

Blue Mirage in the Estuary
This week, the St. Lawrence offered some amazing moments to those who took the time to stop and admire it.…
Whale Q&A

Could the heavy presence of large rorquals before the summer season have had an impact on prey abundance?
While it is not unusual to see large rorquals in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence in winter, more…

Killer Whales in the St. Lawrence
The last time killer whales were seen in Tadoussac was in 2003, though other sightings (article in French) are occasionally…

Cabinet of Curiosities: Unusual Whales!
The reason marine mammals fascinate us so much is that we are far from having unravelled all of their mysteries!…