New Record Season in Sight for Humpbacks?

The jagged black-and-white tails of humpback whales are prompting shouts of joy from observers in Les Bergeronnes, Franquelin and Port-Cartier’s Rivière-Pentecôte sector this week. The presence of this species in the St. Lawrence is relatively recent and, since 2018, the number of individuals observed has been increasing significantly. Imagine: in the Estuary, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that more than two individuals were identified every summer!

In 2019, there’s even talk about a record year for humpbacks. The Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS), which manages the photo-identification catalogue of humpbacks in the St. Lawrence, recently published the results of last summer’s census. A total of 129 different individuals were photographed by MICS, GREMM and their various collaborators. Of these, 108 are individuals that are already known to researchers. Another piece of good news is that 14 newborns have been observed.

Humpback whales come to the St. Lawrence to feed. Some individuals seem more loyal to certain sectors, such as the Gaspé, the Estuary or the waters of the Mingan Archipelago. Others, however, visit different regions. It’s more or less the same situation that can be observed with fin whales.

Will the fin whale observed off the Manicouagan Peninsula at Pointe-Lebel on May 18 remain in the area all summer long? Perhaps. But it may also be one of those individuals observed off Port-Cartier in the past few days. Or, perhaps, this individual is responsible for the giant spout spotted in Gaspé Bay on May 20.

Several observers have also been reporting the presence of multiple species during the same observation session. For example, off Sept-Îles, blue whales – including B360 – fin whales, porpoises and minke whales, not to mention harbour seals, are seen swimming in close proximity. Are they taking advantage of the capelin that have been “rolling” these days in several parts of the North Shore?

On May 19 in Franquelin, one observer admires a herd of some fifty seals surrounded by three or four diving minke whales, not far from which is a humpback.