The minke whale seen in Montreal moved out of the Le Moyne channel into the river. It is now near Île Sainte-Hélène, opposite the sculpture three discs.
Posted at 12:21 p.m.
The cetacean was observed for the first time on Sunday in the Le Moyne Channel, a thin body of water separating Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame, near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge in Montreal.
As of Monday, the Marine Mammal Research and Intervention Group (GREMM) set up a “surveillance and vigilance plan”. GREMM volunteers and specialists are currently working to assess the age of the cetacean, its state of health, and to establish a plan for the future, according to Robert Michaud, scientific director. Navigation on the St. Lawrence River has been warned of the presence of the whale.
A minke whale can measure from 6 to 9 meters. It is more than 400 kilometers from its natural habitat, in the estuary or the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The reasons for the mammal’s ascent to Montreal are currently unknown to researchers. The animal could have gotten lost while hunting prey, for example. In the spring of 2020, a much larger humpback whale was also seen in Montreal, arousing the excitement of the population, at the start of the pandemic.
She had finally been found stranded in Varennes. The exact cause of his sudden death could not be confirmed by necropsy. She could have been hit by a boat.
The last minke whale to have been observed upstream from Quebec was in Lévis, in 2018.
More details to come.