A Speckled Humpback… by Anik Boileau

On June 19, we had observed Hockey and her calf south of Île du Corossol. The calf had some pustules and skin lesions on its right and left flanks, behind the dorsal fin. In our monitoring of the well-being and health of the humpbacks and fin whales of the St. Lawrence, this is precisely the kind of situation we want to document! We stay far enough away to avoid stressing the animals, but thanks to the powerful lenses of our cameras, we’re able to take important photos, which, unfortunately, show a deterioration in the skin condition of the calf we nicknamed “Picotine”. 

On June 19, we had observed Hockey and her calf south of Île du Corossol. The calf had some pustules and skin lesions on its right and left flanks, behind the dorsal fin. In our monitoring of the well-being and health of the humpbacks and fin whales of the St. Lawrence, this is precisely the kind of situation we want to document! We stay far enough away to avoid stressing the animals, but thanks to the powerful lenses of our cameras, we’re able to take important photos, which, unfortunately, show a deterioration in the skin condition of the calf we nicknamed “Picotine”. 

Back in our office, the research continues to figure out what disease our calf might have. A review of literature points us in different directions: lobomycosis, poxvirus, calicivirus?

Around the globe, skin diseases in cetaceans have been increasingly prevalent in the last 20 years. This phenomenon seems to be attributable to environmental degradation and a close link has been established with the salinity in the marine ecosystem. Etiology (word of Greek origin which means the search for causes) suggests three possible origins: viral, bacterial or mycological. If we analyze the skin lesions of Picotine, we begin with a process of elimination, otherwise known as differential diagnosis. The lesions appear to be ulcerous, so we can eliminate the poxvirus, as the lesions are in the form of round spots referred to as “tattoo skin disease”. We proceed in this manner until we have a plausible idea of ​​the origin of the condition. Of course, we cannot make an official diagnosis, as this would require a skin sample and a veterinary pathology analysis conducted at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Saint-Hyacinthe. On the other hand, as other researchers do, we can categorize the condition as an unspecified nodular skin disease. Perhaps we will have the chance to have a skin sample analyzed to obtain a more accurate diagnosis!

We haven’t seen Picotine or its mother Hockey since September 27. Have they already departed for their long journey to warmer waters? One thing is for sure, we hope they will come back to us next summer in better health!