{"id":49632,"date":"2018-07-26T19:52:26","date_gmt":"2018-07-26T19:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baleinesendirect.org\/naviguer-dans-le-brouillard\/"},"modified":"2020-03-11T18:18:39","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T18:18:39","slug":"navigating-through-the-fog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baleinesendirect.org\/en\/navigating-through-the-fog\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating through the Fog"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our observer from Franquelin<\/strong> notes the presence of four minke whales and four porpoises on July 21. A little farther down river, in Sept-\u00celes<\/strong>, fifty or so porpoises venture into Sainte-Marguerite Bay. Four minke whales are also spotted.<\/p>\n

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The fin whale Zipper is easily identified by its scar caused by a collision with the propeller of a ship. \u00a9 GREMM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Between Tadoussac and Les Bergeronnes<\/strong>, the beluga photo-identification program was once again hampered for part of the week due to the fog. Its tough to photograph them if you can’t see them! The area does, however, produce sightings of four fin whales \u2013 including Zipper, who bears a scar from a run-in with the propeller of a ship \u2013 a few porpoises and minke whales. “We never get bored; there’s always action!, exclaims a GREMM research assistant. As for humpbacks, the female Tic Tac Toe<\/a> has been observed frequently. She calmly pretends to dive two or three times before raising her tail and diving for good. The complete opposite of the exuberant Tic Tac Toe we have come to know, this behaviour gives rise to speculation: Could Tic Tac Toe be pregnant? To be absolutely certain, we would have to wait for biologists to confirm this through a biopsy or photogrammetry.<\/p>\n

In the Haute-Gasp\u00e9sie region, more precisely in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts<\/strong>, observers have been keeping an eye out for whales since late June. On July 21, their patience finally pays off: two rorquals (minke or fin whales) visit the east side of Anse de l’\u00c9chouerie. Distinguishing between minke and fin whales at a distance is not always obvious despite their considerable difference in size. However, if one observes the animal’s blowhole and dorsal fin at the same glance, it can be concluded that it is a minke whale.<\/p>\n

On July 19, off the coast of the Cap-des-Rosiers lighthouse near Gasp\u00e9 Bay<\/strong>, eight humpback whales, four minke whales, five fin whales and twenty or so porpoises are seen. In the days that follow, humpbacks seem to disappear while two blue whales \u2013 a mother and her calf \u2013 are observed. The duo has been visiting the region for several days now. One cruise employee remarks: “We stopped at the regulatory distance of 400 metres and turned off the engines to observe them without disturbing them, but the little one is really curious. He approached us to see what was happening in our neck of the woods.”<\/p>\n