Big Return of a Small Cetacean

At around 4 in the afternoon on August 13, a naturalist aboard a whale-watching boat managed to spot a narwhal at the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord, swimming amongst a group of belugas. It was also purportedly observed by a warden of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. Recognizable by its mottled grey skin, the narwhal is an arctic species not normally observed in the St. Lawrence. Rather, this species inhabits the waters of Greenland, Norway, Russia and the Canadian Arctic.

It’s not just the narwhal that has been making waves this past week!

A herd of about 150 grey seals was seen on August 13 in the Mingan Archipelago. “This is the first time we encountered such a large group so far off the coast,” said one observer who was on the water that day. Forty or so humpbacks and four blue whales were also seen in the cold waters of the Mingan sector, according to the Mingan Island Cetacean Study. Then, on August 16, “Two fin whales entered the archipelago,” says one passionate observer. Common eiders, terns and cormorants were also flying around, not to mention minke whales and harbour porpoises near the islands.

Farther down the St. Lawrence, minke whales were observed in Sept-Îles as well as in Sheldrake, where seals and Atlantic white-sided dolphins were also reported during the week. Off the coast of Pointe-des-Monts on August 13, a few observers had the good fortune to see minke whales, nearly a dozen grey seals and several harbour porpoises. A beluga was also seen in the area… “Completely unheard of!” remarks one of the locals. A little farther downstream, in Franquelin, four humpback whales were seen blasting offshore on August 14. One die-hard marine mammal enthusiast reports that the rest of the week was characterized by “a steady stream of porpoises, minke whales and harbour seals!”

In the estuary, humpbacks could be seen from shore between Les Escoumins and Grandes-Bergeronnes almost every day this week, together with a few dozen harbour porpoises, several surface feeding minke whales as well as grey seals.

In Tadoussac, minke whales came to forage near Pointe de l’Islet and the Marine Mammal Interpretation Centreearlier in the week, much to the delight of keen-eyed observers there. Several belugas were observed from either side of the Saguenay, passing through the mouth of the fjord. A humpback whale also paid a visit to this sector on the morning of August 15.

A GREMM research team working in Baie Sainte-Marguerite on August 16 also had the chance to see a herd of about sixty belugas swimming in the fjord!

One thing is for sure: despite the advancing season, many awesome encounters are still occurring between marine mammals and those who are lucky enough to find themselves on their paths!

Care to share your observations and contribute to citizen science? Use the marine mammal sighting entry tool.