Ba004, Fidèle

The minke whale Ba004, known since 2005 by Mériscope, a research station based in Portneuf-sur-Mer, has been spotted several times already this year in the St. Lawrence Estuary! Nicknamed Fidèle (Faithful) because of its recurring presence, this minke whale is one of some 300 individuals in the Mériscope catalog. However, it is the only individual that has been known for so long, 21 years! Having never been biopsied, its sex remains a mystery. In the spring, two sightings of Fidèle were reported to the research team: on April 5 and April 21. Dany Zbinden, director of Mériscope, notes that “this is the first time he has been seen in the estuary so early in the season, having made his earliest appearance on July 10 (in 2015) and often just in the fall.” What was he doing in the estuary in April? To study minke whale visitation patterns, photo identification is used to identify which individuals have been seen and at what time of year. Thanks to the markings on their dorsal fins, minke whales can be differentiated from one another. This is quite a challenge, as minke whales are fast, elusive, and do not always have distinctive markings!

As its name suggests, it is a regular visitor to the estuary, spotted almost every year thanks to the distinctive notch at the rear base of its dorsal fin. Fidèle was already an adult when it was first observed, so it is at least 22 years old.