Lucky Eight?

Research teams and observers alike had their work cut out for them to identify all the whales cruising around the estuary! Of the eight humpbacks, several were well known. H492, alias Irisept, a female known since 1997, was one of them. She owes her name to the shape of the black iris and the small white “7” on her right lobe and near the middle of her tail, respectively. She can also be recognized by the unique shape of her dorsal fin, which appears truncated, and the pronounced relief of some of her vertebrae in the peduncle area. Another individual, H531, a.k.a. Le Souffleur, owes her comical name to a GREMM staff member who recognized this individual on the water while she was illustrating the organization’s annual recap. Another sighting of the week was that of H858, a.k.a. Queen, which got its name from the white crown that adorns the top of its tail fin. Other humpbacks present in the estuary include H626 (Gaspar) and H689 (Aramis).

The presence of a blue whale in the sector also delighted the handful of enthusiasts who were able to observe it. The individual was identified as Jaw-Breaker, which is one of the 15-18% of blue whales in the St. Lawrence that show their tails when they dive. As for the origin of her name, unfortunately it seems to have been lost over time! There may be a connection with the eponymous hard candy, or with an aggressive behaviour that she might have displayed toward other blue whales. Last year, many observers were moved when she was seen with a calf in tow. This year, however, she was travelling alone.

For one native of the region, a plane ride over the St. Lawrence was an opportunity to admire whales through the clear water: “Seeing a blue whale below the surface was magical. From Tadoussac to Les Escoumins, belugas, minke whales, humpbacks and several seals have been reported. In Saint-Siméon, harbour porpoises were seen on the ferry crossing.

One lucky woman was able to capture stunning photos of a fin whale swimming in the Bay of Sept-îles. In Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, sightings abound for the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) team, with three minke whales, one blue whale, two fin whales, three humpbacks and eight North Atlantic right whales tallied.

These infomations were reported by our network of observers. They give an idea of the presence of whales and in no way represent the actual distribution of whales in the St. Lawrence river. Simply use it for fun!

Click on the whale or seal icons to discover the species, the number of individuals, additional information or photos of the sighting. To enlarge the map, click on the icon in the top right-hand corner. The map works well on Chrome and Firefox, but not so well on Safari.

To display the list of sightings, click on the icon in the top left-hand corner.