News from Afield
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2019 / 04 / 23
With the Belugas: «It’s a Match!» or The Fascinating Work Behind Beluga Pairing
One of the pillars of the research conducted at the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) is photo-identification. For over 30 years, GREMM has been collecting valuable photos to...
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2019 / 04 / 18
Grab your binoculars and let’s go!
Tuque, mittens, binoculars, one field guide for birds and another for whales: a couple is gearing up for a road trip to the Gaspé for the long weekend. They are encouraged by the observations that ha...
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2019 / 04 / 16
What should I do in the event of an incidental catch?
In Quebec, the crab and shrimp fishery got underway a few weeks ago. Despite all the efforts made to prevent incidents, whales or seals can nevertheless get caught in fishing nets or ropes. Every year...
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2019 / 04 / 04
“First of the Year”
“My first whale for 2019!” exclaims a whale-watching outfitter in the Gaspé Peninsula. His first observation was made through his daughter’s kitchen window on March 31. While taking a break...
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2019 / 03 / 27
Return of the Belugas
March 24: “They’re back!” says our collaborator Renaud Pintiaux. From a coastal road in Port-au-Saumon, not far from Saint-Siméon, he observes nearly a dozen white backs poking above th...
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2019 / 03 / 15
Space to Breath
On March 6, while walking on the beach near the Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse, an observer noted the presence of harbour seals in the water. “It looks as if they’re sleeping, their heads are poking o...
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2019 / 03 / 07
More Blue Whales!
The mild weather in the early part of the week offered comfortable conditions for venturing outside and contemplating the river. Did the higher temperatures have the same effect on marine mammals as t...
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2019 / 02 / 21
Marine mammals on the ice and humpbacks in the Caribbean
Off the Gaspé Peninsula town of Newport, 50 or so seals bask on the ice. To observe them, it’s best to have binoculars, as they are 4 or 5 km away. “I’d say they’re probably harp seals,...
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2019 / 02 / 21
Humpback Entangled in 2017 Spotted Alive!
The resilience of whales never ceases to amaze us! By analyzing photos taken in the summer of 2018, the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) team succeeded in identifying whale H710, a.k.a. Snowball. T...
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2019 / 02 / 15
Godbout is where the action is!
A tiny village of just over 300 inhabitants, Godbout is located in the Côte-Nord (North Shore) region between Baie-Comeau and Baie-Trinité. This municipality is best known for its ferry that connect...