{"id":47620,"date":"2019-06-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baleinesed.wpengine.com\/tiny-fish-fall-prey-to-teeth-and-baleen\/"},"modified":"2020-03-05T16:08:54","modified_gmt":"2020-03-05T16:08:54","slug":"tiny-fish-fall-prey-to-teeth-and-baleen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baleinesendirect.org\/en\/tiny-fish-fall-prey-to-teeth-and-baleen\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiny Fish Fall Prey to Teeth and Baleen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearshore reports of \u201clarge whales\u201d picked up in intensity this week. In Godbout<\/strong>, in Quebec\u2019s C\u00f4te-Nord region, humpback whales venture close to shore for a feast of capelin, judging by subsequent observations of this species \u201crolling\u201d on the beaches. Many birds take advantage of the whales\u2019 prey-gathering strategies to pick off a few fish at the surface. Although this time we witness the birds reaping some of the whales\u2019 harvest, sometimes it is the whales that take advantage of the birds\u2019 presence. In British Columbia, researchers have documented a rather peculiar technique<\/a><\/span>. The humpbacks remain motionless with their mouth wide open, forming a large dark chasm that fish gravitate toward in search of a refuge from the repeated attacks of the birds. The whales need only swallow the unfortunate runaways.<\/p>\n

From Havre-Saint-Pierre<\/strong> come reports of surface feeding minke whales as well as grey seals.<\/p>\n

On June 1, the waters off the coast of Sept-\u00celes<\/strong> are boiling with activity. Observers in the area note six blue whales, ten fin whales, minke whales, a harbour porpoise, harp seals, dozens of scattered harbour seals and five humpbacks. Among the humpbacks is a mother-calf duo. The female is identified by the Mingan Islands Cetacean Study from photos taken by Jacques G\u00e9lineau: it is H890. Also in Sept-\u00celes, on June 5, across the horizon there\u2019s not a spout to be seen. Have all the prey headed out to sea, and with them, the whales?<\/p>\n

In Gasp\u00e9 Bay<\/strong>, humpbacks are seen by the dozens, and the large spouts of fin whales and blue whales tease shore-bound observers. Near the pier of Bonaventure island<\/strong>, a humpback whale breaches multiple time on June 6.<\/p>\n

As they kick off their field season in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park<\/strong>, volunteer research assistants from the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) learn the art of photographing large rorquals in order to identify them. They happily watch the surface feeding moves of fin whales, which, mouths agape, show their cream-coloured baleen on one side and black on the other. This asymmetrical colouration is one of the characteristic features of the species. A mother-calf minke whale pair is even filmed by a cruise ship operator. Both animals seem to be surfing in the waves.<\/p>\n