Migration in Full Swing

Migration is truly underway in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is in full swing at the tip of the Gaspé. Humpbacks and fin whales have been plentiful, but blue whales seem to be dragging their caudal fins.

I have just returned from a five-day visit to Gaspésie with the objective of photo-ID’ing as many individuals as possible, and during which I was limited to about twenty hours on the water. The weather was not favourable, with strong winds and periodic rain.

My season began with four trips to the gateway to the Estuary between May 6 and June 6, and failed to produce a single large rorqual. This is an exceptional situation compared to all seasons past, when I normally see a few blues and fins in this area.

On June 15, I therefore decided to go patrol the tip of the Gaspé, since it is always around this time of year that the annual migration of large rorquals takes place. The end of this peninsula is a mandatory passageway for whales heading toward the Estuary and the northwestern reaches of the Gulf.

The abundance of capelin during this period attracts humpbacks and fin whales near the coast. The brownish colour observed when they defecate leaves no doubt that they have been feasting on fish of late. Rather reddish feces would indicate a more krill-oriented diet, but that’s not what I’ve been seeing.

In general, I notice that the populations of these two species of whales are increasingly composed of young, rather small, and unidentified animals. As a result, these individuals are much more playful. We have also been encountering more and more mothers with calf in tow. This is a trend I have been observing for the past 3 years, but it became even more obvious to me on this most recent outing. There appears to be considerable population turnover and a better fertility rate, particularly for humpbacks.