The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Network said on Tuesday that the two minke whales seen in the river near Montreal last week have not been seen for more than 48 hours.
Posted at 3:07 p.m.
Robert Michaud of the marine mammal aid organization said Tuesday that one of the whales was last seen Sunday morning about 25 kilometers downstream from the Old Port of Montreal.
The first minke whale was first spotted on May 8. He spent six days on the outskirts of Île Sainte-Hélène, but has not been seen since 6 p.m. Saturday evening, according to the organization.
This first whale was later joined by a second whale on May 11, both about 450 kilometers upstream from their usual range.
Michaud said Tuesday that a team of volunteers is still deployed to monitor these whales, hoping that the mammals will return downstream to the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. This marine protected area, located at the mouth of the Saguenay River fjord, is home to hundreds of species.
Mr. Michaud did not have very good hopes of finding the whales still alive in a week if they remained in the Montreal region of the St. Lawrence River, because minke whales are not well adapted to fresh water.
The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network invites the public to report any sightings of marine mammals between Montreal and Quebec and asks sailors to be careful on the river. Mr. Michaud recalls that one of the whales had a curved vertebral column, very recognizable for the layman observer.
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