Quin
Beluga
Adopted by The Algonquin Hotel, CP Hotels
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ID number
DL0084
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Sex
Male
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Year of birth
Before 1970
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Known Since
1986
Distinctive traits
Quin’s main mark is very low on his left peduncle, so it’s not always visible. However, Quin is easily recognizable from both flanks thanks to the details in his dorsal crest.
Life history
When we first met Quin in 1986, he was immaculately white. He would therefore have been born before 1970.
Quin’s sex was confirmed by biopsy : he is a male. He is believed to be part of one of two networks of males that frequent the Saguenay Fjord and its mouth.
Quin’s sex was identified by sampling a small amount of skin and fat. A biopsy was taken using a modified rifle. We position ourselves some twenty meters away from the animal and aim at the area under its dorsal crest, to avoid hitting the head. With this modified rifle, you can adjust the pressure of the shot, depending on the distance from the animal, so as to dose the force with which the sting penetrates the skin and fat. The rifle is fitted with a fishing reel that brings the line back to the boat, avoiding the need to navigate inside the herd. This line, which remains under tension during projection, acts as a dart stabilizer when the dart is projected, in the same way as the tail of an arrow.
Observations history in the Estuary
Years in which the animal was not observed Years in which the animal was observed
Latest news
We come across several belugas off the Pointe-Noire observation site. The herd of around fifty individuals includes adults, juveniles and a newborn calf. Quin swims in the company of the female Pascolio and a gray calf. The group is very active on the surface, with tails emerging from the water.
Quin was last seen over a decade ago. What happened to him? Is he dead? Has he remained invisible to the eye of the researcher all this time? Impossible to know at the moment. One thing is certain, his story remains a valuable source of information for our knowledge of this fragile population.
Sponsor
The Algonquin Hotel, CP Hotels adopted Quin (1998).