{"id":49617,"date":"2018-08-16T14:44:08","date_gmt":"2018-08-16T14:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baleinesendirect.org\/faste-semaine-dobservations\/"},"modified":"2020-03-11T17:46:29","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T17:46:29","slug":"great-week-for-observations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baleinesendirect.org\/en\/great-week-for-observations\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Week for Observations"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIn 51 years of watching whales, I\u2019ve never seen that!\u201d At the end of the line, the voice of our observer trembles with excitement. Off Pointe-des-Monts<\/b>, on August 12 and 14, he witnessed feeding scenes of one group of 12 fin whales west of his boat and 7 more fin whales to the east. Also in the area are between thirty and forty minke whales, large numbers of porpoises as well as seals. What\u2019s been attracting so many species and so many individuals? Food, of course! The water appears to be bubbling at the surface with all the mackerel and sand lance. He also sees a school measuring about 10 metres in diameter composed of fish weighing about 15 kilos each. The fish zoom by, their tapered fins splitting the water surface for a few seconds before disappearing. Did he just witness a school of Atlantic bluefin tuna? Maybe! A similar observation is reported off the coast of Anticosti<\/b> Island<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Between Rivi\u00e8re-au-Tonnerre<\/b> and Mingan<\/b>, the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS)<\/a> team crosses paths with 20 humpbacks \u2013 including Irisept, Paloma<\/a> and Helmet \u2013 and about 15 fin whales. On August 14, between Anticosti<\/b> and the north shore of the St. Lawrence, harbour porpoises, minke whales, twenty or so basking sharks and about fifteen fin whales <\/span>On August 11, off the coast of Colombier<\/b>, Ren\u00e9 Roy photographs the female Jaw-Breaker<\/a> accompanied by a calf that, according to MICS researcher and director Richards Sears, is about to be weaned. This observation establishes a new record: five calves observed in a single season in the St. Lawrence, which is unheard of! <\/span><\/p>\n

In Portneuf-sur-Mer<\/b>, M\u00e9riscope\u2019s<\/a> Dany Zbinden<\/a> also bumps into Jaw-Breaker and her calf, as well as three other blue whales, including Chameau<\/a>. He also observes two fin whales and a number of porpoises, but no minke whales, the species he studies! Nevertheless, on August 12, the M\u00e9riscope crew observes a giant feast around Prince Shoal<\/b> off the coast of Tadoussac<\/b>, where no fewer than 45 minke whales are feeding. No biopsies can be taken; to perform such an operation, the targeted individual must be tracked for 45 minutes before the biopsy and 45 minutes after, but with so many minke whales together, it\u2019s impossible to follow just one!<\/span><\/p>\n

Not far from Matane<\/b>, on August 11, Ren\u00e9 Roy also encounters a group of eight belugas that blend into the wave crests. <\/span><\/p>\n

On August 12, off Franquelin<\/b>, six minke whales, one of which comes close to shore, are seen feeding. A large tail appears above the waves, but given the distance of the animal, it\u2019s hard to say whether it is a humpback or a blue whale. An observer on the water between Godbout<\/b> and Franquelin<\/b> reports four fin whales and several seals that same day. <\/span><\/p>\n

And, in Les Escoumins<\/b>, since August 12, nearly a dozen blue whales captivate all those who lay eyes on them. New humpback whales are also seen, including H855, the calf born to Tic Tac Toe<\/a> in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n