Action in the Gaspé and the Estuary

Atlantic white-sided dolphins by the hundreds, fin whales by the dozens, acrobatic humpbacks: observers in the Gaspé have had plenty to gaze at over the past few days, that is when their view wasn’t being obscured by the fog!

On July 25, an observer sets sail late in the day, with the impression she is heading to Land’s End, as Cap Gaspé is sometimes nicknamed. The horizon stretches out in front of her as far as the eye can see. All of a sudden, a sharp fin slices through the water surface. Nothing like the sickle-shaped dorsal of the minke whale or the triangular fin of the harbour porpoise. Another fin cuts through the waves. This time, she recognizes the species: Atlantic bluefin tuna! They must have found some small fish to feed on, as they are soon joined by white-sided dolphins. But the smörgåsbord isn’t just for toothed animals. Baleen whales join the feast: five or six fin whales cash in on the action while farther offshore, a humpback slaps its tail and pectoral fin on the surface. Is this its way of summoning its peers to the schools of fish? Maybe!

On the evening of July 26 in Baie-des-Sables, a crowd gathers on the docks.One resident decides to go see what’s going on. A second gentleman points the first to an area of churning waters. The witness grabs his binoculars to get a better look. A large school of small, smelt-like fish is being chased by larger fish. He seems to think they are striped bass. A minke whale rushes in. A second individual arrives, darting straight into the school. The bubbling at the surface subsides. It must be a furious chase down below! Then, in the middle of it all, a dolphin leaps out of the water. Observers enjoy the splashing caused by this hunting foray for an hour, against a backdrop of a sun-tinted sky.