Astonishing Whales in August
The sea is stunning, the sky is blue, and the sweltering sun has given way to gentle maritime breezes. Cetacean-wise, the big surprise in the St. Lawrence Estuary has been the big return of humpbacks. Plus a herd of 50 grey seals in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park and about 30 white-sided dolphins in the Gaspé Peninsula amongst a long list of other marine mammals.
Action in Forillon!
“A minke whale this morning in Gaspé Bay, a concert of grey seals heard while I was hiking the End of the World Trail in Forillon Park,” shares one local resident, and “seals everywhere! Even at the Gaspé marina where you can see them on the docks!” Indeed, several harbour seals were observed resting at this new, state-of-the-art haulout site.
Also in Gaspé, an experienced naturalist has been regularly observing two humpbacks nicknamed Paloma and Splinter. Two other humpbacks have recently arrived, not to mention a few fin whales and harbour porpoises. A local adds to the list a blue whale, a minke whale, and a pod of 30 white-sided dolphins “about 4 [nautical] miles beyond Gaspé Bay.”
As for harbour seals, although they are present, they are fewer in number at the Forillon Park haulout site and seem to be moving inland, while grey seals are still being reported from Cap Gaspé.
On the north shore
The Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) reports that, despite inclement weather, its teams observed in the course of two outings a mother-calf pair of humpbacks, a fin whale, and two North Atlantic right whales!
The Sept-Îles Research and Education Centre (CERSI) had another “intense week,” with eight blue whales, five fin whales, four humpbacks, and five minke whales! A truly impressive tally, which was complemented by around 100 porpoises, including four individuals first documented in 2020!
Minke whales going nuts
Back on land, a resident near Franquelin saw “two huge glistening backs well offshore. Two or three minke whales, one of which was very close to shore. A couple duos or trios of porpoises. Three grey seals and a harbour seal showed up and began curiously sniffing the air.” Another local reported several “minke whales, porpoises, and seals, but no large rorquals.”
...and at the mouth of the fjord
At the mouth of the Saguenay, belugas have been swimming before the eyes of observers, some toting binoculars. A Tadoussac resident had the pleasure of seeing her first breaching minke whale during a quick visit to the Pointe-Noire Interpretation and Observation Centre. “It’s crazy how fast it all happens! […] Not a bad day!” she exclaims. Amongst the minke whales and belugas, two enthusiasts thought they saw the smaller backs of harbour porpoises in the ripples of the fjord. One regular visitor mentioned a wonderful moment in the company of a “spectacular harbour seal that spent an hour with us at Pointe de l’Islet on Saturday evening, showing its little head and large back as it dove!”
Jaw-dropping whales
Whales always have a knack for amazing us, appearing and disappearing at will into the darkness of the depths. Sometimes they leave behind a ripple in the water, the only proof that our eyes have indeed witnessed such a scene. Whales are also surprising simply by the very fact that they exist. A mammal that only emerges to take a breath of air before stealthily diving back down to live its long life below the surface. Yet, the most intriguing moments in a cetacean’s life mostly take place away from our curious eyes! However, they do occasionally grace us with some beautiful surface behaviours.
During the lull that has characterized the last few weeks, the dominant species has been the minke whale. We saw a few minkes devouring small fish at the surface, exposing their small bellies and pink ventral grooves with spectacular splashes. Mériscope saw six in a single day in the estuary, as well as around forty harbour porpoises!
Farther up the fjord, a Sherbrooke resident visiting the Côte-Nord region was admiring the sunset at Baie Sainte-Marguerite, where she was also treated to views of a large herd of belugas glistening in the sparkling water!
Finally, two humpbacks dazzled many an observer this week in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park. Observed every year since 2019 (except 2023), H943 showed her blackish tail fin to several delighted individuals. The next day, it was humpback whale H859 (known locally as “Yvon”) that showed up again after an extended visit in July.
Where are the whales this week? Observation map
These data were reported by our network of observers. They give an idea of the presence of whales and in no way represent the actual distribution of whales in the St. Lawrence. Just for fun!
Click on the whale or seal icons to discover the species, the number of individuals, additional information or photos of the sighting. To enlarge the map, click on the icon in the top right-hand corner. The map works well on Chrome and Firefox, but not so well on Safari.
To display the list of sightings, click on the icon in the top left-hand corner.
Thanks to all our collaborators!
Special thanks go out to all our observers who share their love for marine mammals with us! Your encounters with cetaceans and pinnipeds are always a pleasure to read and discover.
On the water or from shore, it is your eyes that give life to this column.
Eliza Arhire
Odélie Brouillette
Sylvie Carré
Marie-Andrée Charlebois
Thalia Cohen Bacry
Laetitia Desbordes
Benjamin Gagné
Hélène Guitton
Sidric Jasmin
Alice Martin
Karina Pegiel
Pascal Pitre
Lily-Rose
Renaud Pintiaux
Diane Ostiguy
Guillaume Savard
Guy Synnott
Marielle Vanasse
And to all the others!
Additionally, we would like to acknowledge the following teams that also share their sightings:
Sept-Îles Research and Education Centre (CERSI)
Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM)
Marine Mammal Observation Network (MMON)
Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network (QMMERN)
Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS)
Mériscope
Would you also like to share your observations?
Have you seen any marine mammals in the St. Lawrence? Whether it’s a spout offshore or just a couple of seals, drop us a line and send your photos to [email protected]!
Thalia Cohen Bacry
Thalia Cohen Bacry is a science writer for the GREMM, having previously worked as a naturalist in 2023. A UBC graduate, she completed a master's degree in international studies at the Université Laval and is continuing her learning in several fields, including geography, political science and animal behavior. Passionate about environmental protection, she grew up in Savoie, surrounded by lakes and mountains, before immigrating to Canada and discovering even bigger and wilder spaces. Intrepid, curious and persevering, she loves to learn, observe and analyze in order to raise awareness about protecting our oceans.
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