The second minke whale that arrived in Montreal was finally observed Thursday evening between the Sainte-Hélène and Notre-Dame islands. But despite the regulations prohibiting approaching the whales, the cetacean was almost hit a few times by pleasure craft sailing at full speed, has been able to observe The duty.
While the first minke whale to arrive on Sunday swam all day Thursday along Île Sainte-Hélène, near the Calder sculpture, the second individual of the same species was not seen there until the start of the evening.
The cetacean, which would also be a juvenile individual, chose to go up the course of the St. Lawrence by taking the Le Moyne channel. Thursday evening, he was swimming against the strong current, about 200 meters upstream from the Jacques-Cartier bridge. The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Network was also on site to capture images of the animal using a drone to analyze its size and state of health.
Boats nearby
The duty observed watercraft, including two personal watercraft, traveling at full speed towards the minke whale, passing either directly above the stray animal or very close to it. Boaters, who might have struck the animal swimming near the surface, never slowed down while passing through the area.
However, a notice to shipping has been issued for the sector due to the presence of two stray minke whales. In a written response to our questions, Fisheries and Oceans Canada also recalls “the obligation to respect the Marine Mammal Regulations and to keep a minimum distance of 100 meters”. “The presence of boats nearby can cause stress or injury to the animal and be risky for the safety of the observers themselves,” adds the ministry.
For the moment, however, the authorities have not deployed any team on the water to avoid the presence of boaters in the area where the whales are. Such monitoring was however ensured in 2020 during the stay of a young humpback whale in Montreal.
“A boat is available on site if we need to intervene with boaters regarding approach distances and the disturbance of the animal”, simply indicates the federal authorities.
No intervention at the moment
At the present time, no action is planned to capture or frighten the two minke whales, including the one that has been present in the vicinity of Montreal for at least five days. Nor is there any information to explain their presence more than 450 kilometers from their natural habitat, the estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
However, it should be remembered that calves of this species separate from their mother after barely a few months of breastfeeding. It therefore sometimes happens that juvenile individuals go astray. In 2016, then in 2017, cases of dead young minke whales were documented in the Lévis region.
There has never been, in the entire history of Montreal, a documented case where two whales were in the region at the same time. In the past, beluga whales have been observed in the vicinity of the metropolis, as well as the famous humpback whale which ventured there for more than a week in 2020. The latter had attracted many curious people with its many spectacular jumps out of water ; she was eventually found dead in the St. Lawrence Seaway, where many merchant ships pass.