Where’s the ice?

One might think that less ice is good news for whales, but that is not necessarily the case. For example, a whale may find itself trapped under the ice and be unable to reach the surface to breathe. Less ice, less risk? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple: thin, drifting (i.e. not attached to shore) sheets of ice may be more easily displaced by a storm and form sudden traps.

Ice also contributes to the fragile balance of the St. Lawrence ecosystem. Its disappearance is accompanied by rising water temperatures, which could be making the marine environment less favourable for many of the species that whales prey upon. The lack of ice can also pave the way for new predators. In the Arctic, for example, species that until recently had little to fear from killer whales are now finding themselves victims of their attacks.

The following day, Renaud Pintiaux and his friend also spot belugas off Cap de Bon-Désir, thanks to their breaths. “It’s quite rare to be able to see their exhalations so well,” exclaims Renaud Pintiaux, who even manages to photograph this mist. The difference in temperature between their breath and the frigid ambient air makes it possible to see what is usually a rather indistinct exhalation.

“As for climate change, we’re right in the thick of it,” worries Jacques Gélineau, who searches for spouts offshore in a sea completely devoid of ice. He spotted a few off Gallix over the weekend, but nothing since then. “[Before, I]t was unthinkable to go out on an inflatable craft in the winter to monitor whales, but now, in the absence of ice, that might be possible. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not good to see such a change in the ecosystem.”