Elle

Early departure from the Tadoussac wharf aboard the BpJAM, GREMM’s inflatable research vessel. We encounter our first herd of belugas at 8:15, which consists of six individuals, some white, some grey. We photograph them before continuing toward a second, slightly larger herd of fifteen individuals. We quickly shoot them with our camera and then switch over to the drone. We hover over the individuals, but must quickly bring our flying camera back on board on account of worsening weather conditions. A large tide rip seems to be attracting belugas. As we approach, we see dead and dying capelin floating on the surface. Gulls and gannets are circling overhead, eyeing up their next meal. Are the belugas hunting below the surface? Sorting through our photos back in the office, we recognize Elle.

The Bleuvet is near Pointe Noire, where a herd of roughly 40 individuals is actively swimming. We observe a number of surface activities, including pectoral fins and tails emerging from the water. Amongst the individuals we photograph is Elle, who is swimming with Dorothy. At the beginning of the encounter, the animals were mostly stationary, diving and resurfacing at the same location. Was this a feeding behaviour? At the end of the contact, the belugas began to head up the Saguenay. It was then that we spotted a calf swimming close to a female with a small gray line resembling a pencil stroke on her right flank. The crew did not immediately recognize this individual.

We’re observing the beluga “Elle” south of Île Rouge, off the shores of Tadoussac at the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord. Elle is swimming in the company of some thirty individuals, including adults and young. The herd splinters into several small groups of three individuals who are swimming quite close to one another. In addition to the belugas, we are witness to nearly a dozen seals and several minke whales. Prey are likely plentiful here. While photographing individuals one after the next, we are thrilled to discover a newborn at the sides of one of the females, recognizable by its small size and “café au lait” colouring.

Elle is sighted in the Saguenay Fjord in a herd of some thirty belugas, including adults, young and three calves. We also recognize DL0030, one of the most familiar belugas to our research team. In the course of this encounter, we observe a curious behaviour: two young belugas are swimming close to the surface in a figure-S pattern and spatting out water. Are they chasing prey?

To capture their prey, belugas suck them in. When they miss their target and come up empty, they spurt out water. Might it be an eel? Despite the paucity of direct observations, scientists have long believed that eels might form part of belugas’ diet, especially in the fall when the latter are migrating in the St. Lawrence.