Le Bleuvet has been taken out of the water for the winter. For the past two weeks, the team was aboard this boat, not at sea, but on terra firma, protecting the craft from the elements for the winter. Its season on the water had ended prematurely in early October due to a mechanical issue. During this time, the GREMM’s second boat, BpJAM, stayed at the docks to allow the team to complete its season at sea. The BBE project (beluga behavioural ecology) aims to define the social nature of groups, shed light on their movements and use of habitat, identify their critical habitats and their vulnerability to human activities. It also aims to evaluate the reproductive success of females and study population dynamics.

Four months earlier, at the end of June, the team takes to the water for its first days in the field. They encounter herds of belugas which they know well and which remain faithful to their territories. They work in the Saguenay Fjord in particular, which is sheltered from the wind. They see two calves swimming in close proximity to their mothers. It’s the beginning of the beluga calving season, which lasts through September.

Whales in the Flesh!

Friday morning, September 22, 2023. Warning: Not for the faint of heart! I wake up shortly after dawn. The golden…

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In Search of Large Rorquals

It's 5:45 a.m., and I'm already awake and excitedly waiting for news from the research team of the Group for…

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Humpback Whales: Between River and Sky

September 14, 2023 will remain a date forever engraved in my memory. It was a strange and surreal day, Which…

|Field Notes 11/10/2023