Already 48 hours have passed since the last time the two minke whales swimming in the waters of the St. Lawrence River, near Montreal, were seen.
Posted at 8:59 p.m.
Volunteers from the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Network (RQUMM) returned to Île Sainte-Hélène on Monday morning to try to locate the two mammals, but without success. The search in this sector was therefore abandoned in the middle of the day.
The RQUMM reports that the first minke whale, which arrived near Montreal more than a week ago and spent six days near Île Sainte-Hélène, has not been seen since 6 p.m. Saturday evening .
According to a Coast Guard commander, the minke whale made about 15 jumps out of the water in the early evening of Saturday, but no one saw it again.
As for the second minke whale, he has not been seen since 9 p.m. Saturday evening. The one who came near Montreal a little later spent some time between the Old Port and Île Sainte-Hélène, before moving into the Le Moyne channel, directly on the other side of the island. , for three days.
A ship’s captain reportedly spotted a minke whale on Sunday morning near Cap Saint-Michel, 25 km downstream from Île Sainte-Hélène, but no other reports have been made since then.
The RQUMM therefore invites the public to report any sightings of marine mammals between Montreal and Quebec and asks sailors to be careful on the river.