News from Afield
-
2019 / 06 / 19
With the Belugas… And Listening In!
By Mathieu Marzelière At last! GREMM’s 2019 field season is officially underway. This first week was devoted to Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s tagging project in which we are collaborating in the ...
-
2019 / 06 / 07
Tiny Fish Fall Prey to Teeth and Baleen
Nearshore reports of “large whales” picked up in intensity this week. In Godbout, in Quebec’s Côte-Nord region, humpback whales venture close to shore for a feast of capelin, judging by subsequ...
-
2019 / 05 / 29
A Blue Whale At Last!… by René Roy
I finally encountered my first large rorqual of the season! And it was about time: I had already travelled 240 nautical miles (about 445 km) in the span of three outings. On Thursday, May 23, I made y...
-
2019 / 05 / 27
Return of a Star?
The hastily composed email betrays the excitement of its sender. The observer just photographed a fin whale with a particularly curved dorsal fin off Sept-Îles on May 19. Its shape is reminiscent of...
-
2019 / 05 / 27
Beluga Belatedly Heads Back to Rejoin its Pod!
Since April 23, a beluga that could be described as a “vagrant” has been observed around the Gaspé Peninsula. The beluga is still within its annual range. Nevertheless, its presence this time of ...
-
2019 / 05 / 09
Minke Whales Everywhere
From the Gaspé to the Côte-Nord, minke whales have been appearing in the waves in recent days. In the St. Lawrence, the majority of minke whales identified or biopsied are females. In this species, ...
-
2019 / 05 / 03
Young Seals on the Beach: Doing the Right Thing!
Every year, the months of May and June represent the pupping season for harbour seals. During this period, the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network receives numerous calls to report young p...
-
2019 / 04 / 30
Travelling “Down South” … by Albert Michaud
This winter, I had the chance to leave Quebec and go “down South”. Not to the Caribbean or Florida, but much farther afield: Antarctica, one of the last truly wild regions on the planet. I had the...
-
2019 / 04 / 29
New Species for the Season
In Sept-Îles, in Quebec’s Côte-Nord region, a long-time observer sets sails on a friend’s boat for the first time this season. The boat cruises by Île du Corossol, a protected island sanct...
-
2019 / 04 / 27
With the Belugas: The Fascinating Work Behind Beluga Pairing (Part 2!)
In last week’s Field Notes, we presented the preparatory steps for beluga matching. This week, discover how the team adds pages to the life chapters of individually-known belugas. Beluga 2018011...