Magazine
Large Rorquals in Cap-des-Rosiers
"Finally, our first observation of 2020!” writes in an observer residing in Cap-des-Rosiers in the Gaspé Peninsula. On March 29, a sunny morning offers excellent visibility. From their own home, she and her partner spot two fin whales roughly 2 nautical miles from the coast. “They were calmly swimming eastward, occasionally floating on the surface for a few moments. They were accompanied by the first gannets we’ve seen this year. As far as we’re concerned, this is an official indicator of…
Field Notes
Catch Me If You Can: A Week at the Saddle Island Haulout
6:30 a.m.: The alarm goes off, sounding the start of a new day in the field. I’m not in Tadoussac,…
Skeleton Preparations Move Forward
At the time of his most recent interview with a Whales Online intern in the fall of 2018, Michel Martin,…
Is ice a significant natural threat to blue whales in the Gulf?
Revisiting the photos I took this past summer, I pondered some of the specific markings I had observed on blue…
Hot Topics
North Atlantic Right Whales: New and Continuing Measures in 2020
Speed limits reduced to 10 knots in certain areas, closure of fishing zones, increased surveillance: the Government of Canada has…
Right Whales: What is happening in 2019
The North Atlantic right whale is endangered, with an estimated population of only about 400 individuals. The main threats faced…
Industrial port developments on the Saguenay: a beluga’s perspective
Three industrial port development projects on the banks of the Saguenay River are in their final stages or have completed…
Marine Mammal Emergencies
New Measures: Impact of COVID-19 on Capacity to Respond to Marine Mammal Emergencies
In order to comply with current government guidelines for COVID-19, the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network (QMMERN) is continually…
Impact of COVID-19 on Emergency Response Capacity of Marine Mammal Emergencies
The Marine Mammal Emergencies call centre remains active as usual, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. If you…
News
COVID-19: Whales in Your Living Room
Whether you’re on the North Shore or in the Gaspé Peninsula, when you live near the St. Lawrence, it’s easy…
Humpback Whale Attacked by Great White Sharks
Researchers witnessed a rare event in Mossel Bay, at the southern tip of the African continent: two great white sharks…
A Fourth Generation Humpback Calf!
Good news! Aramis, daughter of the famous humpback whale Tic Tac Toe, recently gave birth to her very first documented…
Observation of the Week
Large Rorquals in Cap-des-Rosiers
"Finally, our first observation of 2020!” writes in an observer residing in Cap-des-Rosiers in the Gaspé Peninsula. On March 29, a…
First Report of a Minke Whale in 2020
We received the first report for 2020 of a minke whale in the St. Lawrence! It was an individual out…
Spring of the Seals
“72!” That’s how many seals our collaborator Laeticia Desbordes is lucky enough to observe and carefully tally early this week…
This week in the Marine Park
Pregnancy Tests for Belugas
Update – September 30, 2015 The final day of the program was September 25. Weather conditions were favourable, which allowed…
Whale Q&A
Is sinking a ship to create a reef dangerous for whales?
This question comes from residents of Godbout, a small village in Quebec’s Côte-Nord region. In this municipality, starting point of…
How do we know how big a blue whale gulp is?
For researchers, studying the giants of the seas is no easy task! For example, how do they quantify how much…
Is it possible to collect dead whale skin in the St. Lawrence?
One reader sent us this video from Blue Planet Live in which researchers were collecting pieces of dead skin that…