Magazine
Destination Belugas with CacounAir
Par Sami Jay Wagner-Beaulieu et Hugo Catineau, techniciens pilote de drone pour la brigade béluga rive sud The arrival of…
Understanding the Effects of Physical and Chemical Water Conditions on Underwater Noise
By : Sarah Duquette, resource management technician for Parks Canada This morning, my alarm went off at 5:30 and, believe me,…
Setting Sail with White-sided Dolphins
By Estelle Pagé It’s 6 in the morning, and my sailing shift has just begun. After six days in the…
Container Ship in Distress in the Estuary: QMMERN on Alert
7 Short Blasts and 1 Long Blast “I was woken up by seven short blasts followed by one long one.…
Mysteries of the Depths: Discover the Surprises Unearthed from the Seabed during Sediment Sampling in the Estuary
By Eliza-Jane Morin, Resource Management Officer, Parks Canada During the summer months, the Parks Canada conservation team in the Saguenay-St.…
Predator-Prey Monitoring: Incursion into the Food Chain of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park
Once a week during the summer season, we carry out predator-prey monitoring in the lower estuary. The objective of this…
A Week on Gros-Cacouna Mountain
By Cristiane Albuquerque, ecologist and acting team lead at the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park I had the opportunity to spend…
A Day Aboard the Ciktek in Pursuit of the Harbour Seal
Today, June 21, 2023, is National Indigenous Peoples Day. I want to emphasize this, since I will be sailing on…
The Little Seal in Ragueneau
It’s late morning on Friday, June 2, when the phone rings. It’s the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network (QMMERN)…
Tale of a Migration to Mexico
Since 2019, I ‘ve been making an annual migration to Mexico for a few months each year, more precisely to…
A Brief Guide to Partial Necropsy
As part of a training course, my colleague and UMM technician Méduline Chailloux and I met on a Saturday morning…
A “GREMMlin” at IMPAC5
From February 3 to 9, the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress, IMPAC5, was held in Vancouver. The event was…
A day at the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network
Saturday, September 17: The weather is beautiful and the participants of the Béluga Ultra Trail (web page in French) race…
Teamwork for Whale Protection
Protecting the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park requires teamwork. Research makes it possible to better understand various issues related to the…
Fearful or Bold, Curious or Solitary… By Nature? Personality in Whales
The more time they spend watching and working with marine mammals, the more observers and scientists alike come to assume…
Recovery of a white-sided dolphin carcass in Rimouski
In the early afternoon of Monday, September 5, the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network call centre receives a report…
Eyes on the water
Every summer since 2003, the Parks Canada team has been scrutinizing the waters in and around Baie Sainte-Marguerite to tally…
The Belugas of Cacouna
“Hey look! Over there! A beluga!” Posted on our observation platform on the sacred mountain of Gros-Cacouna, Sami and I…
Invasive Aquatic Species Project
The week of July 11 to 15 marked the second year of sampling for our project in collaboration with Fisheries…
Marine Observation Activities
Since 1994, sampling has been conducted on nearly 3,000 excursionsin the heart of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park by the…
Why is it important not to touch a marine mammal carcass?
By Marie-Maude Rondeau Ever heard of Valleau, the sperm whale whose carcass washed ashore in L’Anse-à-Valleau in 2003? Today, this…
With the mobile team… and a beluga carcass
By Marie-Maude Rondeau This summer, I’m working as a responder for the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network (QMMERN). I’m…
WITH THE BELUGAS… OUR FIRST FIELD SEASON ON GRANDE-ÎLE
By Jaclyn Aubin This summer, I was lucky enough to pass two weeks on the Grande-Île de Kamouraska, accompanied by…
Could one be eaten by a whale?
In the animated film Pinocchio, the famous puppet is swallowed by a whale, then lives in its belly for a…
Quiet Oceans: Has The Covid-19 Crisis Reduced Noise In Whale Habitats?
By Valeria Vergara, researcher with Ocean Wise’s Marine Mammal Conservation Research Program, specialist of acoustic communication in beluga whales and collaborator…
A Speckled Humpback… by Anik Boileau
By Anik Boileau, Veterinary Science Researcher and Director of CERSI With the arrival of fall in the Sept-Îles region, it’s…
With the belugas… and their blubber
By Valerie Jolicoeur, master student at UQAM This fall, I embarked on a major Master’s project that focuses on the…
Travelling “down south”… by Albert Michaud
By Albert Michaud This winter, I had the chance to leave Quebec and go “down South”. Not to the Caribbean…
1-877-7Baleine Still Active Throughout the Holidays!
Even if snow covers the shores of the St. Lawrence, Marine Mammal Emergencies continues its work. Throughout the winter, the…
Whales on the Big Screen
The Whale Online team has compiled a list of its favourite films and TV series for a home theatre session with whale…
Thank you, Marine Mammal Emergencies volunteers!
On the occasion of International Volunteer Day (December 5), we would like to highlight the important contributions made by the…
Mériscope: Overview of Minke Whales
A 23-foot orange Zodiac called Narval is used to approach minke whales. On board you will find the Mériscope crew,…
What do we know about harbour porpoises?
By Célia Barathier Harbour porpoises are the subject of very few studies in the St. Lawrence and are therefore much…
What Do Whales Do at Night?
By Chloé Vérité A curtain closes, night takes over the sky and during its quiet advance the frantic pace of…
What Good is Whale Poo?
By Célia Baratier In summer, whales find themselves in the St. Lawrence to stock up on food. Krill and fish…
Do hybrids exist in cetaceans?
By Célia Baratier This year once again, the research team aboard the BpJAM saw the narwhal! He seems to have…
“Mom, can you hear me?” season #2
By Valeria Vergara and Marie-Ana Mikus (guest researchers from Ocean Wise Conservation Association) Time flies on the beluga research tower…
Back at the tower: a second season in Baie-Sainte-Marguerite
By Jaclyn Aubin Last Saturday, as I hauled myself up onto the platform of the tower, I felt a flutter…
Can Whales Be Deaf or Blind?
By Célia Baratier Sound travels much faster through water than through air. Whales have taken advantage of this phenomenon thanks…
A Summer School on Animal Cognition
Are fishes sentient? Do squid have a sense of self? Who are dolphins and can they be considered as nonhuman…
Never before seen footage of fin whale feeding behavior
By François Vachon The scientific team from EDMAKTUB filmed unprecedented images of fin whales surface feeding off the coast of…
Federal government announces new protective measures for right whales
By François Vachon The year 2017 was a particularly grim year for right whales. A total of 17 carcasses were…
How can a live stranded whale die of asphyxiation?
By François Vachon Ocean water exerts pressure that allows cetaceans to support their mass. Animals such as fin whales and…
Youth Programs for Environmental and Conservation Awareness
Are you interested in a career focused on the environment, wildlife conservation and awareness of your country's natural heritage? A…
Have Whales Ever Gotten Trapped by the Ice in the St. Lawrence Estuary?
By François Vachon To date, no such incident has ever been recorded within the boundaries of the St. Lawrence Estuary.…
Gifts that keep on giving!
By Stéphanie Tremblay The holiday season is fast approaching! With it comes the conundrum of brainstorming for gift ideas. That…
Do whales use tools?
By Stéphanie Tremblay This week, a video was swirling around several social media in which a male dolphin could be…
How do we measure the length of a whale?
By Stéphanie Tremblay When we see a whale from shore, or even from a boat, it looks quite small. Even…
Are the pilot whales of the St. Lawrence the same as those in the Caribbean?
By Stéphanie Tremblay The differences between certain species are sometimes so imperceptible that they may be mistaken for one another.…
At what age do female belugas stop having offspring?
By Stéphanie Tremblay Female belugas reach sexual maturity between the ages of 8 and 14 and can live between 60…
Do whales go into heat?
By Stéphanie Tremblay Anyone can recognize a cat in heat, but what about a whale? With the human eye, this…
Do whales drink salt water?
By Sonia Villalon Despite a few exceptions, pinnipeds and cetaceans do not usually drink. In most cases, water is supplied…
Movement of Prey Conditions that of Whales
By Sonia Villalon A text from Sonia Villalon Every species has its preferences in terms of prey and this week's…
What is this beluga doing with this piece of wood?
By Maureen Jouglain In this video taken in the summer of 2016 off the land-based Pointe-Noire Interpretation and Observation Centre,…
Whales, death and mourning
By Maureen Jouglain An understanding of death and reaction to the loss of a loved one are generally considered to…
Narwhal Still Amongst St. Lawrence Belugas
At a time when identity and immigration issues are tormenting Quebec and the rest of the planet, a fresh wind…
Is Montréal’s and Québec City’s wastewater having an impact on whales?
By Maureen Jouglain The Montréal region alone produces 2/3 of the wastewater in Quebec. The province's second most densely populated…
Studying Gannets to better understand the feeding activities of whales
A text from Sonia Villalon The monitoring of northern gannet populations (Morus bassanus) is of particular interest for understanding changes…
On the path of the blue whale: from the St-Lawrence to the United States
By Maureen Jouglain A study published in July 2017 in the journal Endangered Species Research presents the first records of…
Are sonars used to locate whales?
By Maureen Jouglain From the inflatable boat to the large ferry, every whale-watching boat is equipped with a radar and…
Good navigation practices for Beluga conservation
In this beluga calving season, Fisheries and Oceans Canada's "Show you care, keep your distance!" awareness campaign reminds us of…
How can a beluga survive out of water?
By Maureen Jouglain The rescue operation of the beluga trapped in the Nepisiguit River, New Brunswick, raised the question: how…
Mark your calendar: Talk “Where everything revolved around whales”
An invitation to travel through "Whale Civilization" The kick-off for summer talks has finally arrived! For the first gathering of…
What is the function of the callosities in right whales?
By Sonia Villalon The callosities in right whales are irregular patches of thickened and keratinized tissues. These tissues are habitat…
Supporting Research, one Raspberry Blanche at a Time
Is it possible to drink beer and support St. Lawrence beluga research at the same time? Yes, thanks to Les…
Who are these minke whales?
By Mériscope October 23, 2016: last trip out to sea. The 6th season of photo-identifying St. Lawrence minke whales is…
“No Maritime Strategy without a Beluga Strategy” Warn Nature Québec and CPAWS Quebec
At a press conference on November 1, 2016, Nature Québec and CPAWS Quebec call for a beluga strategy in response…
Small Whales in Big Numbers!
By Olivia Capeillere Since the beginning of fall, large rorquals have been everywhere along the St. Lawrence Estuary, but this…
Ending the Season with a Bang
It's getting colder offshore; the season is drawing to a close. Nevertheless, Thanksgiving weekend was wonderful, with regard to both…
Birds and humpbacks galore!
By Olivia Capeillere As we enter into early fall, observers everywhere along the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf have been…
Pleasant Surprises at Season’s End
By Olivia Capeillere Autumn has truly arrived. Offshore, chilly temps are on the menu and so are the whales! Blue…
How is climate change affecting whales?
By Olivia Capeillere Several studies support the hypothesis that climate change will have negative impacts on whales. Three main impacts…
Renowned Blue Whales… by Jaclyn Aubin
Today I would like to share a particularly phenomenal cruise that I had the chance to take. Arriving at our…
The Almost Mythical Blue Whale… by Audrey Tawel-Thibert
More than ten years ago, I first laid eyes on the largest animal that Earth has ever seen: the blue…
Encounter with a Gray Seal… by Jaclyn Aubin
In recent weeks, it seems impossible to go out on the water without seeing at least a hundred or so…
The Famous Breach of the Humpback… by Audrey Tawel-Thibert
The morning of August 5 is a difficult one out on the water. Shooting photos from a small Zodiac is…
Can whales survive in fresh water?
Cetaceans are marine mammals, which are adapted to living in the salt waters of the various seas and oceans of…
Spectacular Diversity… by Jaclyn Aubin
It is often said that the St. Lawrence is a smorgasbord for whales. Indeed, the river has several characteristics that…
Do Sperm Whales have any Predators?… by Olivia Capeillere
Toothed whales are generally much smaller than baleen whales. However, the sperm whale is a toothed whale that can grow…
Amazing Fin Whales… by Jaclyn Aubin
Despite several days of adverse conditions, last week proved to be very conducive for observing fin whales in the Marine…
Flame Retardants in St. Lawrence Whales
[caption id="attachment_20043" align="alignright" width="250"] L'équipe du Mériscope © Mériscope[/caption] The Mériscope team is excited. This is the beginning of the…
What kind of whaling was practised in the St. Lawrence?
Well before the arrival of the first Europeans, the Iroquois practised traditional whaling in the St. Lawrence River. Archaeological studies…
Are Atlantic Gray Whales Really Extinct?
Today only three populations of gray whales are found in the Pacific Ocean. The North Atlantic population was extirpated in…
Why are whales important? Why should we protect them?
The Whales Online team asked these questions to researchers who dedicate their time and energy studying the whales of the…
Cap sur les baleines, Episode 4: Olivia Capeillere
Olivia Capeillere crossed the Atlantic to follow her passion for the titans that inhabit the St. Lawrence. As a naturalist…
In the St. Lawrence: a Scene that Changes by the Hour
My expectations are low as I leave the Tadoussac wharf on the morning of September 9, a heavy blanket of…
Cap sur les baleines, Episode 3: Simon Gauthier
Professional storyteller Simon Gauthier pounds the pavement, his backpack chock full of tales, baleinophone in hand. The pioneer of whale…
Cap sur les baleines, Episode 2: Marie Guilpin
Marie Guilpin crossed the Atlantic to study the whales of the St. Lawrence. As a Ph.D. student in oceanography in…
Cap sur les baleines, Episode 1: Hugues Durocher
Hugues Durocher was literally born on the river. The son of a lighthouse keeper, his life has evolved with the…