Various Cases Keeping Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network Busy

On May 30, 2020, fishermen from Anticosti Island discovered the carcass of a beached whale measuring nearly 10 metres long. They immediately contacted a Network volunteer, who forwarded us a few photos. It was a fin whale. One interesting finding regarding this young animal is that it showed marks of entanglement. At the request of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS), one of QMMERN’s member organizations, the volunteer who sent us the photos went to the site to collect skin, fat, muscle and baleen samples. Subsequent analysis might provide some clues to the causes of this young male’s untimely death.

Two drifting beluga carcasses in the Gulf of St. Lawrence were reported to us by Fisheries and Oceans Canada officers, who were conducting flights over the area as part of a North Atlantic right whale monitoring program. Due to their considerable distance from the coast, these carcasses cannot be sampled or recovered.

The Network has also received a few reports of drifting minke whale carcasses in the Gaspé Peninsula. How many are there? Hard to say, given the lack of visual documentation. In any case, one minke whale carcass washed ashore on the banks of Newport’s Anse aux Îlots on June 7. Samples were taken from the carcass. On June 9, the presence of another minke whale carcass adrift in Chaleur Bay was also confirmed via photos sent in by an observer.

Public participation is absolutely essential for the Network to fulfil its mission. If you discover a dead or vulnerable marine mammal, please call 1 877-722-5346.