A Slew of Whales and a Legion of Seals

“It’s funny because every year for each of the past three years, somewhere around the 20^th or 25^th of March, we see a blue whale pretty much right in front of our house. Obviously, it’s impossible to prove, but we can’t help but wonder whether it’s the same individual returning to its favourite stomping grounds,” says an observer from Cap-aux-Os in Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula.

No, these aren’t the colours of a hockey team, but rather those of some of the marine mammals that have been spotted from the north shore of the St. Lawrence! While one enthusiast reported observing a seal on the ice in Sept-Îles, another one noted the presence of about fifty belugas near Franquelin. Two blue whales have also allegedly been spotted near Baie-Comeau.

White backs and grey backs characterized a large group of belugas observed by a naturalist and wildlife photographer stationed in Les Bergeronnes for the occasion. “An extremely long line of individuals slowly parading from west to east, split into numerous groups of 2 to 5 individuals at variable distances from shore.” Recognizable by their grey colour, young belugas are generally seen in groups composed of adult females and calves. Bulls tend to form their own separate groups. A resident of Les Escoumins also had the chance to observe one of these white whales at the docks used by the ferry connecting Les Escoumins to Trois-Pistoles.

What appears to be the first minke whale of the season was also spotted in the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park. Note that at this time of year, all the sightings reported in this article were made from shore, which is testimony to the sharp eyes we have in our network of observers across Quebec!

Thanks to all our collaborators!