Tagrorqual à bosse

Clear filters

Why do humpback whales sometimes interact with algae?

In an immense expanse of blue, a long and slender silhouette gently rises above the water surface. A string of…

|Whale Q&A 9/1/2024

In Search of Large Rorquals

It's 5:45 a.m., and I'm already awake and excitedly waiting for news from the research team of the Group for…

|Field Notes 25/10/2023

Rorquals in the Fjord and Sperm Whales

A new species is visiting the Gulf of St. Lawrence for the first time this year: the sperm whale. In…

|Observation of the Week 7/9/2023

Stars of the St. Lawrence

They exude an aura of magic that animates evening get-togethers along the shores of the St. Lawrence. Every year, visitors…

|Observation of the Week 13/7/2023

Gaspar, Guadeloupe and Aramis Put on a Show!

Although the start of the season has been a quiet one, whales seem to have finally arrived in the St.…

|Observation of the Week 6/7/2023

Large Rorquals in the Gulf

This week, large rorquals were present all around the gulf. A blue whale made an appearance near Sept-Îles, minke whales…

|Observation of the Week 15/6/2023
Bp920 rorqual commun

Fin Whales Are Back!

This week, marine mammals were not deterred by the snow and wind from parading up and down the St. Lawrence.…

|Observation of the Week 18/5/2023

Return of Tic Tac Toe

To begin these field notes, we first need to travel back in time to September 1999. It was one of…

|Field Notes 18/5/2023

Arrival of Tic Tac Toe

While some communities are eagerly waiting for the ice to break up on the local river or for the tulips…

|Observation of the Week 11/5/2023
Béluga du Saint-Laurent

White Whales Mark the Return of Spring

This past week in the St. Lawrence, strong winds, inclement weather and rough seas did not make easy to observe…

|Observation of the Week 6/4/2023

Why are some whales two-tone?

Many whales feature both dark body parts and light body parts. This is the case for a number of species…

|Whale Q&A 5/4/2023

Big gulps in the bay

The day is calm with a quiet whisper of a wind, while out in the bay, a few dark spots…

|Observation of the Week 1/12/2022

Humpback Whale Season Winding Down

As winter approaches, migratory whale species are slowly beginning to leave. Although humpback whales are becoming more scarce, the waters…

|Observation of the Week 10/11/2022

Action on the Horizon

Whether watching through their binoculars, through the lens of their camera or with their own two eyes while squinting from…

|Observation of the Week 27/10/2022

Cetaceans by the Dozen

A dozen or so humpback whales have been observed in Gaspé Bay over the past week. A few individuals approach…

|Observation of the Week 13/10/2022

Autumn Winds

Mariners are well aware that in fall, storms often produce strong winds from the east or northeast. While some enthusiasts…

|Observation of the Week 30/9/2022

Fog-shrouded Waters

This past week was marked by the presence of fog almost all across the St. Lawrence. Mingan Islands, La Malbaie,…

|Observation of the Week 15/9/2022

Dolphin, harbour porpoise or…fish ?

It is a beautiful evening of observation, a magnificent sunset, a refreshing breeze, a most grandiose panorama. The eyes turned…

|Observation of the Week 1/9/2022

Are there fewer whales in the St. Lawrence this season?

On both shores of the St. Lawrence, many folks are concerned about the paucity of whales observed in the river…

|News 15/8/2022

A Drive Down the “Whale Trail”

Between Tadoussac and Kegaska, Route 138 hugs the coast of Quebec’s Côte-Nord region for over 850 kilometres. Dotted with magnificent…

|Observation of the Week 4/8/2022

Swimming against the current

After the pioneering belugas that ventured into Baie des Ha! Ha! last week, this week it is the humpbacks’ turn to…

|Observation of the Week 28/7/2022

Entangled Humpback – A Chronicle

On Wednesday, July 13, a humpback whale was spotted off the coast of Les Escoumins accompanied by a calf that…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 26/7/2022
Béluga du Saint-Laurent

Exploratory Belugas

Belugas made headlines this week when a group of a dozen or so individuals was observed in Baie des Ha! Ha!…

|Observation of the Week 21/7/2022

Memorable Observations

When it comes to marine mammals, sometimes no two days are alike. For several weeks, a resident of Tadoussac had been…

|Observation of the Week 14/7/2022

“Now the season can start!”

A certain enchantment can sometimes develop between whales and the naturalists who observe them. For naturalist and wildlife photographer Renaud…

|Observation of the Week 30/6/2022

A Funny Coincidence

Belugas took full advantage of their first day of calm in the Saguenay Fjord. Many light-coloured backs were present in…

|Observation of the Week 23/6/2022

Humpbacks Stealing the Show!

Exuberant, splashy, and ubiquitous, humpback whales sometimes tend to turn our attention away from other cetaceans. And not only when…

|Observation of the Week 9/6/2022

Spring Arrivals

Every year, when the month of April kicks off in the Haute-Côte-Nord region, an indescribable emotion begins to flow through…

|Field Notes 18/4/2022

Humpback Whale ‘Rumba’ in Mexico

For the past few years, I’ve been making the occasional winter trip to Mexico, just for the sake of warming…

|Field Notes 21/3/2022

Giants Under the Ice

On the St. Lawrence, it’s ice and more ice as far as the eye can see! In the Gaspé, where…

|Observation of the Week 27/1/2022

Twelve Years of Encounters with Humpback Whale H626 (a.k.a. BBR/Gaspar)

For many years now, I have regularly gone out on the water every summer as well as a good part…

|Field Notes 19/1/2022

Humpback Serenades Begin in September in Canada

As the autumn foliage grows brighter and the days grow colder, the humpback whales in Canadian waters are slowly beginning…

|News 12/10/2021

Whales in words and pictures at the CIMM (more!)

You don’t always need to see whales live to fall under their charm. Thanks to the selection of books (all…

|News 9/8/2021

The Magic of Dawn and Dusk

It was a bountiful week on the St. Lawrence this week, with spectacular marine mammal viewing to locals and visitors…

|Observation of the Week 5/8/2021

Conceiving the Inconceivable (2/2): Templates for Humpback Whale Songs

As early as the 1980s, whale song research pioneer Roger Payne stated that “It is inconceivable that such rapid and…

|News 5/8/2021

With large rorquals… in the rain!

My name is Stéphanie, and I’m one of GREMM’s (Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals) research assistants for…

|Field Notes 3/8/2021

A Beautiful Story of Collaboration, from the Caribbean to the St. Lawrence

Many of the humpback whales observed in summer in the St. Lawrence spend part of the winter in their breeding…

|Field Notes 28/7/2021

Conceiving the Inconceivable (1/2): Metamorphosis of Humpback Whale Songs

Cultural transmission is a widely-accepted hypothesis within the scientific community to explain the movement and transformation of humpback whale songs through space…

|News 27/7/2021

Migration in Full Swing

Migration is truly underway in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and is in full swing at the tip of the…

|Field Notes 23/6/2021

Field Season Debut and the Return of Two Stars: Tic Tac Toe and Ti-Croche!

Back on the water for the 2021 season. It should be a great summer offshore, between Tadoussac and Les Escoumins.…

|Field Notes 14/6/2021

Dinner is served!

“The capelin are rolling like crazy here in the Gaspé,” says one observer. “At least ten humpbacks have been tallied…

|Observation of the Week 10/6/2021

Do Whales Have Hair?

All mammals have hair. At first glance, this characteristic seems completely incompatible with the image we have of whales, animals…

|Whale Q&A 9/6/2021

On the lookout for big blasts

Friday, May 28: It’s barely the crack of dawn on the dunes of Tadoussac when Laetitia from the Tadoussac Bird…

|Observation of the Week 3/6/2021

Technological Innovation: Filming the Secrets of Sleeping Humpbacks

When researchers placed a camera on the back of a humpback whale, they probably weren’t expecting an hour-long video during…

|News 24/3/2021

Educational Podcasts on Marine Mammals

Itching to set sail in search of marine mammals? Virtual experiences are available thanks to the following list of podcasts…

|News 8/3/2021

Valentine’s Day, Cetacean Style

Signs of affection, saying “I love you” and showing it with sweet gestures. Such is the essence of Valentine’s Day.…

|News 11/2/2021
Béluga du Saint-Laurent

Belug-ice

Between the snow squalls, a small group of belugas weaves its way through the ice floes off Les Bergeronnes on…

|Observation of the Week 11/2/2021

When it comes to whales, how can we remain optimistic about the future?

In the realm of conservation and research, long-term efforts to further our knowledge about cetaceans and protect them continue. This…

|Whale Q&A 18/12/2020

Generosity For Your Loved Ones… and For Whales, Too!

The 2020 holiday season will come with its share of challenges, just like the periods of adaptation that we all…

|News 4/12/2020

Dead Humpback Found in Varennes Victim of Ship Strike

On June 10, the team from Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine performed a necropsy on the whale, meaning…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 11/6/2020

Visiting Humpback in Fluvial Estuary (Québec City – Montréal)

The humpback as an ambassador for a greater cause We understand the emotional aspect of the situation. Local residents who…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 8/6/2020

My dream is to swim with dolphins or whales. What would be the impact of such an activity?

In many places around the globe, ecotourism organizations offer the opportunity to swim with marine mammals. Whether we’re talking about…

|Whale Q&A 3/6/2020
MN à Montreal Juin 2020

Sometimes, Best Way to Help Whale is to Leave It Alone

Many people have been writing to us to express their concern about the humpback whale currently in Montréal. We appreciate…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 3/6/2020

Post-whaling Recovery: The Beautiful Story Of Humpbacks

This year in the St. Lawrence, no fewer than 13 mother-calf humpback pairs have been identified by teams from the…

|News 29/10/2019

Travelling “down south”… by Albert Michaud

By Albert Michaud This winter, I had the chance to leave Quebec and go “down South”. Not to the Caribbean…

|Field Notes 29/4/2019

Trap-Feeding: a New Creative Feeding Method

Innovation often derives from need. So has been the case for humpback whales off northeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Humpbacks…

|News 27/11/2018

My First Encounter with Pilot Whales

On Saturday, May 13, together with Katy Gavrilchuk and David Gaspard, members of the Mingan Islands Cetacean Study (MICS) team,…

|Field Notes 16/5/2017

Young Humpback Found Stranded in Godbout Given Second Life in Tadoussac

On the shores of the Côte-Nord region, near Godbout, a small humpback whale was reported to Marine Mammal Emergencies on…

|Marine Mammal Emergencies 12/5/2017