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Mom, can you hear me?: The Challenge of Beluga Calves in the St. Lawrence

Biologist Valeria Vergara has always assumed that newborn belugas produce very soft vocalizations, making them particularly vulnerable to underwater noise.…

|News 15/10/2021

Wounded seal: what to do?

As you pace the shores of the St. Lawrence, you come face to face with a seal. So far, nothing…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 11/8/2021

Regional Assessment of St. Lawrence for Better Informed Choices in the Future

In the context of environmental assessments of development projects in the St. Lawrence, the issue of cumulative effects is often…

|News 28/7/2021

GNL Québec’s Énergie Saguenay Project Rejected on Climate Grounds

On July 21, Environment Minister Benoit Charette announced that his government was rejecting GNL Québec's Énergie Saguenay project, a highly…

|Hot Topics 22/7/2021

First-ever Detailed Portrait of Whale Incidents in Eastern Canada

For the first time ever, data on whale incidents in eastern Canada has been compiled in a single report. Produced…

|News 15/7/2021

Documentary “The Loneliest Whale”: The Importance of Epic Stories to Raise Public Awareness

In the documentary The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52, a group of scientists sets out to find a whale…

|News 14/7/2021

Beached Fin Whale in Forillon National Park

On June 19, an employee of Forillon National Park discovers a fin whale carcass at the bottom of a cliff…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 13/7/2021
Béluga du Saint-Laurent

Belugas, Belugas Everywhere: Overview of Out-of-Range Belugas this Spring

From Matane and Bonaventure, Quebec to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, belugas seem to be everywhere this…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 29/6/2021

Allocare in Belugas: Still a Mysterious Behaviour

Perched atop a tower in the middle of Baie Sainte-Marguerite, Jaclyn Aubin peered down on belugas for two summers (2017…

|News 28/6/2021

Busy Start to the Season at Marine Mammal Emergencies

As is the case every year, the arrival of warm, sunny days is synonymous with an uptick in the number…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 9/6/2021

Leatherback Turtle Carcass in Gaspé

In late April, a local resident discovers a very decomposed carcass on Haldimand Beach in Gaspé. All that remains are…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 3/6/2021

Season Kicks Off at Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre

Tadoussac’s Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre (CIMM) will open its doors on June 7. After months in the dark, the fifteen…

|News 3/6/2021

Protecting Young Harbour Seals on the Beaches

In May and June, many residents will have the opportunity to observe young seals on the beaches, as it is…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 27/5/2021

Ocean Week: From Education to Action

From June 1 to 8, 2021, the first Quebec edition of Ocean Week will take place. Orchestrated by the environmental…

|News 27/5/2021

New Tools Available to Maritime Industry for Marine Mammal Protection

The Marine Mammal Observation Network (MMON), the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and the St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO)…

|News 21/5/2021

400-Metre Regulatory Distance for Blue Whales Proving Effective

In the presence of watercraft, blue whales reduce both the duration and depth of their dives. A recent simulation-based study…

|News 19/5/2021
© Steve Baker

How do whales show their emotions?

Whales produce viscous tears (article in French) that serve to protect their eyes from debris. Are these tears also used…

|Whale Q&A 13/5/2021

Recognizing the culture of whales in order to better protect them

If we truly want to protect whales – and other species as well for that matter – biologists must understand…

|News 6/5/2021

Can whales suffocate?

After a week of severe weather in September 2019, a naturalist from the whale-watching outfitter Croisières Escoumins wondered whether whales…

|Whale Q&A 29/4/2020

Arctic Adventure: A Virtual Expedition on the Ice Floes for Elementary School Kids

Accompanied by experienced divers Jill Heinerth and Mario Cyr, discover the pack ice and its animals with Arctic Adventure, an…

|News 26/11/2019
pectorale bosse

Humpback whales eat with their hands

The pectoral fins of humpback whales, with their enormous size and jagged edges, are quite different from those of other…

|News 19/11/2019

Why do some belugas have turned-up pectoral fins?

This question is from Marie-Hélène D’Arcy, beluga photo-ID technician at the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM).…

|Whale Q&A 11/11/2019

Post-whaling Recovery: The Beautiful Story Of Humpbacks

This year in the St. Lawrence, no fewer than 13 mother-calf humpback pairs have been identified by teams from the…

|News 29/10/2019

Are the blue whales in the St. Lawrence getting enough to eat?

In summer, the St. Lawrence is a feeding ground for a number of blue whales of the northwest Atlantic population.…

|News 22/10/2019
Une femelle grand dauphin, accompagnée de sa fille biologique et d'un jeune péponocéphale.

Extremely rare adoption by a dolphin

In 2014, in French Polynesia, a female bottlenose dolphin nicknamed “Thaïs” is observed with her first calf. Two months later,…

|News 10/9/2019

What does a blue whale use its tongue for?

Blue whales have a huge tongue that weighs as much as an elephant. In addition to the sense of taste,…

|Whale Q&A 28/8/2019

Studying Fin Whale Distribution to Understand Their Decline

The team at the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) has been observing fewer and fewer fin whales in the northern…

|News 14/8/2019

Study Whales to Beat Cancer?

According to a study published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, whales have mechanisms to protect themselves against cancer. Since the…

|News 29/7/2019

Do Planes and Helicopters Disturb Whales?

Whales are particularly sensitive to noise, whether human-made or natural. Noise can interfere with their communication and affect their behaviour.…

|Whale Q&A 24/7/2019

Noteworthy Fish and Whales Galore

Last week, it was white-sided dolphins in Gaspé Bay. This week, killer whales, the largest species in the dolphin family,…

|Observation of the Week 17/7/2019
Deux dos de rorquals à bosse

Do humpback whales have friends?

Since arriving in the Marine Park area, Tic Tac Toe has been observed multiple times with another female nicknamed Snowball.…

|Whale Q&A 5/7/2019

How does echolocation work?

In water, light is scarce, but sounds travels quickly. In such an environment, toothed whales such as belugas, sperm whales…

|Whale Q&A 5/7/2019
Tail of a sperm whale

What is ambergris?

Sperm whales are known and have been hunted for their production of ambergris, a substance of great value that has…

|Whale Q&A 5/7/2019
La carcasse de la baleine noire Wolverine flotte à la surface, le ventre exposé

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…

|Hot Topics 3/7/2019

Concerns for the Welfare of Eight Captive Whales Returned to the Wild

Since November 2018, 87 belugas and 10 killer whales have been illegally held captive in a “whale prison” off Nakhodka…

|News 3/7/2019

Right whales : fishing closures and new technologies for crabbing industry

On May 13, the first North Atlantic right whales of the season were observed via aerial survey in the Gulf of…

|News 23/5/2019

Do whales suffer from sunburn?

Unlike other mammals, whales do not have hair to protect their skin. Even if they spend little time at the…

|Whale Q&A 15/5/2019

What is a laryngeal sac?

The laryngeal sac is a structure found in baleen whales, but also in many other mammals, including primates (but not…

|Whale Q&A 14/5/2019

Complex rescue operation for whales captured in Russia

Since November 2018, 87 belugas and 11 killer whales have been illegally held captive in a “whale prison” off Nakhodka…

|News 8/5/2019

Fossil of four-legged, amphibious whale discovered in Peru

The terrestrial ancestors of whales first entered the water some 50 million years ago in the region around India and…

|News 10/4/2019

Decline in fin whales in gulf of St-Lawrence

Fin whales in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence are in decline, according to a new study published in the…

|News 4/4/2019

The St.Lawrence challenge : companies pledge to reduce plastic consumption

The St. Lawrence Challenge is a recognition and commitment program aimed at businesses and recreational tourism establishments that wish to…

|News 25/3/2019

A diver caught in a whale’s mouth?

While feeding at the surface, a Bryde's whale accidentally snatched up a diver, who found himself, from the waist up,…

|Whale Q&A 13/3/2019

Short bios of women in marine biology

Since 1975, International Women’s Day has been celebrated on March 8. In Canada, women currently account for just one-third of…

|News 8/3/2019

More Blue Whales!

The mild weather in the early part of the week offered comfortable conditions for venturing outside and contemplating the river.…

|Observation of the Week 7/3/2019

Blue whale migratory traditions

Every day, blue whales must devour up to 4 tonnes of krill before they are full. With such an enormous appetite, it’s…

|News 6/3/2019

Solitary dolphins and belugas : independant or lost?

The female dolphin known as “Dolphy” regularly plays with swimmers and boats in the French port of Collioure. It is…

|News 28/2/2019

A seventh calf, but not a baby boom

Since the beginning of the right whale calving season, 7 newborns have been observed. Although the announcement of a seventh…

|News 20/2/2019

Correlation Confirmed Between Military Sonar and Beaked Whale Mass Strandings

Noise pollution is a growing threat for whales, notably for the beluga population of the St. Lawrence, which is affected…

|News 15/2/2019

How do they determine the age of whales?

Estimating the age of marine mammals is more complex than one might think. Few reliable techniques exist to determine the…

|Whale Q&A 6/2/2019

Do Whales Have Baby Teeth?

Humans have two generations of teeth: deciduous teeth (from the Latin “to fall”) – also called “baby teeth” – and…

|Whale Q&A 4/2/2019

Which whale species has the largest testicles?

North Atlantic right whales have the largest testicles in the animal kingdom. They can exceed 900 kg, which corresponds to…

|Whale Q&A 21/1/2019

Six newborn right whales : a glimmer of hope

Update of 12 February 2019: A fifth and a sixth calf has been confirmed. Since North Atlantic right whales have…

|News 18/1/2019

How do calves manage to follow their mothers?

After birth, a calf remains with its mother at a minimum for the duration of nursing, which varies from a…

|Whale Q&A 15/1/2019