it was an extremely rare visit, in fact a first for the city and a big thrill for residents.
A humpback whale was spotted in May swimming up the St.Lawrence and right into the old port area of Montreal. Whales are spotted on very rare occasions in the area, but they have been smaller minke or beluga whales. To see a whale this size right at their doorstep and hundreds of kilometres from ‘home’ was an exciting event for thousands of Montrealers who flocked to the port area to catch a glimpse of the animal, It didn’t disappoint by occasionally leaping out of the water in a spectacular way.
For several days, the whale thrilled residents as it cavorted in the river but everyone hoped it would soon make a safe return to its natural salt water home far back down the river
Steve Walsh Photography via CBC
It was apparently a young whale, two or three years old but already some 9.5 metres long and about 20 to 30 tonnes in weight.
What the normally salt water animal was doing so far upriver is anyone’s guess, from simple curiousity to chasing prey. In any case, the huge visitor thrilled the city.
Although in a strange fresh water environment, the whale seemed to be enjoying itself. (CBC News)
It was last seen on Sunday several kilometres downriver from the port towards the end of the island and everyone hoped it was on its way back toward the more natural habitat near Tadoussac about 500 kilometres away in the St.Lawrence estuary. This is where the freshwater Saguenay River flows into the salt water of the Gulf of St. Lawrence creating a rich marine environment and a popular sport for a variety of whale species
Sad news
Tragically, the whale was spotted floating upside down on Tuesday morning near the eastern tip of Montreal island about 40 kilometres from where it was last spotted in the strong current.
The Tadoussac-based Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) has reported that identifying features on the tail confirmed it was the same whale.
The humpback whale’s body was spotted drifting lifelessly downstream in the strong current near Varennes Tuesday morning. several kilometres from the Montreal port (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)
The whale has been towed to shore further downriver by the Fishery and Oceans Ministry and a necropsy will be performed by the Universite de Montreal school of veterinary medicine.
The St Lawrence is relatively narrow and there is heavy ship traffic on the river heading in and out of the Montreal port.GREMM spokeswoman Marie Eve Muller said a necropsy will determine right away if the young animal was the victim of a ship strike.
If not killed by some trauma, the tissue and blood samples could take much longer to analyse for other causes, such as disease or infection. DNA analysis will also determine if the animal is related to other whales known to GREMM.
The body was towed further downstream to shore where a necopsy will be performed. There is heavy ship traffic in the river and if a ship strike was the cause of death that should be evident fairly quickly ( Simon Nakonechny/CBC)
Muller said the tragic outcome was not entirely unexpected as the whale was so far from its natural habitat. She added that if nothing else, the whale has reminded city dwellers that the river is not just a shipping channel but home to a variety of marine life including several species of whales.
additional information-sources
- CTV: K.Thomas: Jun 9/20: Montreal’s wayward humpback whale has died
- Montreal Gazette: Magder/Gyulai: Jun 9/20: Whale who enchanted Montrealers has died, body will be examined
- Global: Laframboise/Henriques: Jun 9/20: Wandering humpback whale dies in St.Lawrence
- CBC: J Yoon: Jun 9/20″ Wayward humpback whale, beloved to Montrealers, found dead floating in St. Lawrence
- Canadian Press (via TorStar): Jun 9/20: Humpback whale that thrilled crowds in Montreal reported dead in St.Lawrence
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