News from Afield
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2019 / 10 / 03
Autumn is for Humpbacks
Seven black-and-white tails rise into the air one after the other before disappearing into the dark river. “It’s a ballet of tails,” exclaims GREMM’s lead naturalist on September 28. Another t...
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2019 / 09 / 27
Minke Whales and Their Flair
Perhaps because they prefer coastal habitats, minke whales are one of the most frequently observed cetacean species in the St. Lawrence. Almost every day, a minke whale has been feeding near the Marin...
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2019 / 09 / 19
Rumba!
A three-way ballet… a race in which body touches body. All around the massive but elegant blue whales, water splashes, spurts, and sprays. On September 13, Richard Sears of the Mingan Island Cet...
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2019 / 09 / 13
With the Belugas… And Their Amusing Behaviours
September 6: While part of the team is returning from Alaska to lend a hand to researchers studying the beluga population of Cook Inlet, another is taking off on board our small inflatable research cr...
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2019 / 09 / 13
Whales in the Storm
The sighting map appears a little sparse this week. Have all the whales left? Not necessarily. Weather conditions prevented many boats from setting sail, including those of the Mingan Island Cetacean ...
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2019 / 09 / 11
Humpback Entangled off Forillon Park
Late in the day on August 25, 2019, the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network receives a report for a humpback whale entangled off the cliffs of Forillon National Park in the Gaspé Peninsul...
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2019 / 09 / 09
With Large Rorquals… and Their Gaping Mouths
By Maude-Émilie Bourque August 28, 2019: it’s my last day as a volunteer research assistant for the GREMM this season. For three months now, I have been watching and photographing the large rorqual...
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2019 / 09 / 05
Humpbacks Aplenty and Blue Whale Tails!
A long-time observer and former resident of Tadoussac sets out on a whale-watching cruise on September 1. The skyscape reflects off the waters of the St. Lawrence like a mirror. The boat’s captain s...
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2019 / 09 / 04
With the large rorquals… the biggest!
By Maude-Émilie Bourque Sunday, August 25, 2019. I leave for Grandes-Bergeronnes at the crack of dawn with my equipment: camera and 400 mm lens, GPS, voice recorder and floater suit. It’s 8:30 whe...
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2019 / 08 / 30
Summer Not Quite Over for the Whales
August 28: A bright-eyed naturalist returns to the wharf in Percé. No sooner does the boat leave the docks when she and her passengers cross paths with a minke whale. Then, a group of three fin whale...