The St. Lawrence, rocked between euphoria and lull

A daring naturalist and captain en route to Portneuf-sur-Mer spotted a flash of white in the distance. Thinking it was a beluga, he quickly realized that “the white spot wasn’t beluga-shaped at all; it was larger and looked like a large fin.” His patience paid off, and he found himself face to face with a blue whale feeding at the surface!

Mériscope reports several minke whales – three to six per day – mainly in the Bergeronnes–Les Escoumins area, but also near Baie-Sainte-Catherine. “We observed mostly juveniles, probably about three years old,” the team reports. This is interesting, as a recent study on this species suggests that most of the individuals that frequent our waters are pregnant females! The research centre also encountered a herd of 150 grey seals feeding near Pointe Sauvage in Les Bergeronnes. Porpoises and minke whales are still frequenting the Baie-Comeau area, while a humpback even visited Franquelin!

On August 8, on the heels of a few minke whales and a fin whale during previous outings off the coast of the Mingan region, MICS tallied four fin whales as well as three humpbacks. This region also received visits from three North Atlantic right whales: Aphrodite (#1701), Curlew (#4190), and Manta (#1507), not to mention a pod of white-sided dolphins and several basking sharks!

On the other side of the gulf, observers have been spoiled. Before setting sail, one enthusiast had no sooner gotten out of her car when she spotted something off the Grande-Grave wharf in Forillon Park: “At first, we could barely see it; it must have been sleeping, then it started to become active and we could see that there was a blue whale just 300 m from the docks!” The following day, at the same spot, this whale aficionado took advantage of the fresh air after a day of sweltering heat with an impromptu picnic: “Over there, a humpback in the setting sun! We saw the whale-watching cruise ship heading out to observe it, and as it departed, it breached once, and then again! Right up until nightfall, we observed it slowly make its way out of the bay, hearing every breath it took. A most memorable evening!”

In Gaspé Bay, our most seasoned observers had the privilege of spying humpbacks in the area, including “Splinter, Paloma, and a newcomer named Lady Zhu.” Several fin whales and two blue whales were also present in Gaspé Bay. The first dolphin sightings were reported, with a handful of individuals zipping across the sea! Locals also note that “minke whales and porpoises remain strangely uncommon” and that “even harbour seals seem to have abandoned their haulout.”

However further south in the Matane region, a local resident observed about “fifty harbour seals in Saint-Ulric” one warm August morning. In Cacouna, an observer reported at least thirty belugas, which is a rather rare occurrence in that area! This 2025 season certainly continues to surprise us!

Where are the whales this week? Observation map

These data 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. Just 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.

Thanks to all our collaborators!

Special thanks go out to all our observers who share their love for marine mammals with us! Your encounters with cetaceans and pinnipeds are always a pleasure to read and discover.

On the water or from shore, it is your eyes that give life to this column.