Whales in the Storm

The sighting map appears a little sparse this week. Have all the whales left? Not necessarily. Weather conditions prevented many boats from setting sail, including those of the Mingan Island Cetacean Study. Strong winds grounded surveillance aircraft operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada. Huge waves, pounding rain, and howling winds also kept even the most hardcore observers on shore. For some, it represented an opportunity to return to their winter quarters. But how did the whales weather the storm?

Regardless of whether it is windy or raining, whales must come to the surface to breathe. In the span of about one second, they expel the air from their lungs and replenish them through their blowhole(s). Some species have two, others just one. The muscles of the blowhole are strong and connected to fibrous plugs that prevent water from entering when the animals are not breathing. Whales voluntarily contract these muscles to open the blowhole and exhale when they arrive at the surface. Regardless of how turbulent the water is, whales should be able to breathe without water entering into their respiratory system. And, when the waves are rough, they seem to lift their bodies out of the water more, which probably allows them to raise their blowhole above the chop to breathe.

Occasionally, a powerful storm might disorient a whale and cause navigational errors. Gusts can also change the trajectory of prey, and consequently, the distribution of whales in the days that follow.

Some areas such as the Estuary were not affected by the storm. Is that why we find so many individuals here? Observers were delighted to see twenty or so humpback whales and about fifteen fin whales. From the docks in Les Escoumins, a whale enthusiast spots a couple of blue whales swimming in tandem. “Two of them even showed their tails when they dove,” she exclaims, watching them through her binoculars.