Breaching Fin Whale and Moments of Grace

Theoretically, all whale species are capable of breaching. Some species do so more than others, such as humpback whales, North Atlantic right whales and dolphins. Minke whales are descent breachers as well, like the one that surprised a resident of L’Anse-au-Griffon on August 16 by launching itself into the air 11 times!

Other species are less aerial. For them, breaching appears to be a behaviour adopted by certain individuals. Such is the case with sperm whales, where breaching is more common in small females and young individuals than in males.

In fin whales and blue whales, breaches are rare. Seaman and whale aficionado Jacques Gélineau has only ever had the chance to see a fin whale breach once, despite having spent dozens of summers on the water. “This is the sort of sighting that is both memorable and rare,” confirms Robert Michaud, scientific director of the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM), who has had the privilege of seeing a handful of fin whales breach throughout his 35-year career.

Even in species that exhibit more frequent aerial behaviour, breaching remains very physically demanding. Whatever purpose these acrobatics serve must therefore be significant enough to outweigh the energy expenditure.

Why breach, then? Theories vary depending on the species, location, time of the year, etc. The most common explanations offered relate to socialization, communication, parasite removal or even play.

On the morning of August 17 in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, GREMM’s research team gets the feeling it is sailing through a cetacean bunkhouse. “All the whales are relaxed, resting at the surface of a perfectly still river, it’s awesome,” shares Robert Michaud. For photo-identification purposes, this complicates matters, as the flanks of the fin whales are not clearly visible and the humpbacks are not raising their tails. However, some fin whales are more easily identified than others, like Boomerang, who was first documented in 1990. What a pleasure to run into an old acquaintance again!

And a few disappointments

“It’s pretty quiet in terms of spouts,” says one surprised observer from Pointe-des-Monts. This year, he has hardly seen any large rorquals, just a few minke whales and harbour porpoises. “This week I only saw three humpbacks cruising along. They seemed to be in a hurry to get to the Estuary.”

A pleasure boater from Matane also reports several outings on the water without encountering any marine mammals, on the heels of several weeks of considerable activity. He was on the lookout for the troubled humpback. Ultimately, it was seen in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park on August 15 and 17. Despite targeted searches to locate it and heavy boating traffic in the area, it has not been seen again since then.

This map gives an idea of the presence of whales and does not at all represent the actual distribution of whales in the St. Lawrence. Use it for fun!