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 The
Whale Route
Port-Cartier,
Sept-Îles
Minganie
Île
d’Anticosti
Basse-Côte-Nord
Caniapiscau
Why the Whale Route?
The Gulf of St. Lawrence is a busy crossroads and a teeming underwater
pantry for hundreds of North Atlantic marine mammals. From Pointeaux-
Anglais to Blanc-Sablon, the Duplessis region is right in the middle
of the action. Minke whales, fin whales, humpbacks, and blue whales
as well as dolphins, seals, and porpoises come here every year to
feast on the abundant food in these waters. What brings these giants
of the sea so close to our shoreline, clouding the horizon with their
massive waterspouts, is the large quantity of shrimp-like krill—their
main food source—as well as capelin, sand lances, herring, and
mackerel. Every year the dance of life begins anew. Shadowed overhead
by seabirds, the whales stake out
the best locations to stuff their baleens, putting on a show of gargantuan
proportions!
Starting in April, waterspouts can already be spotted around Sept-Îles
and Île d’Anticosti. Whale sightings are sporadic at first,
but steadily increase in frequency until June when the waters of Duplessis
are alive with activity! The capelin roil along the beaches and minke
whales come within a few dozen meters of shore to eat their fill.
Blue and fin whales also join in the buffet. You can marvel at them
from atop any of our vast region’s natural promontories. Humpbacks
literally invade the waters around Blanc-Sablon to gorge themselves
in a boisterous display of leaps and spray.
July and August are the months when traffic is busiest for all the
species that travel our vast region. This time of year, it’s
not uncommon to come across groups of dozens of humpbacks in Minganie,
around Île d’Anticosti, or off the shore of Sept-Îles.
These agile acrobats always enchant, performing as if in a natural
outdoor theater with playful leaps into the air and tail fins that
emerge from the water as if to wave hello. September and October are
just as exciting. As nature prepares herself for winter, the birds
begin their migration but the whales remain! Live in the moment, open
your eyes, and scan the horizon. If you want, you can even take a
boat to find them in their natural habitat. Do you want more information
on these mysterious mammals? Head to Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan to see
the biologists at the Research
center. They’ll be happy to answer all your questions.
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© Tourisme Côte-Nord 1999-2005
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