
We were out and about in Tadoussac, on the North Shore, this weekend, and stopped by GREMM’s Centre d’Interprétation des Mammifères Marins .
We were able to learn about whales and other animals that swim in the St. Lawrence River, talk about conservation and ecology, and even see short films of exceptional images captured by the center, accompanied by music from local artists (which will be visible on the GREMM website in the future).
GREMM and CIMM
The Groupe de Recherche et d’Éducation sur les Mammifères Marins (GREMM) was founded in 1985 in Tadoussac, a municipality 6 hours by car from Montreal at the mouth of the Saguenay River fjord, and the starting point for the North Shore.
It is a non-profit organization dedicated to researching the whales of the St. Lawrence and educating people about marine conservation.
For whale nerds , those who know nothing about whales and first-time visitors to Tadoussac, we recommend a visit (before or after the zodiac tour) to the Centre d’Interprétation des Mammifères Marins.
The museum offers a year-round exhibition on the whales of the St. Lawrence.
Narwhal tooth, 13-metre beluga whale, right whale baleen and whale skeletons... it’s the best way to learn about conservation and biodiversity in the St. Lawrence estuary, and to immerse yourself in a 100% whale weekend, starting slowly and with dry feet.
When? May 11 to June 14, noon to 5 p.m., June 15 to October 13, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., October 14 to end of October, noon to 6 p.m.
How much? $15 for adults, free for children 17 and under.
Where? 108 rue de la Cale Sèche, Tadoussac
Website? https://gremm.org/cimm-horaire-et-tarification/
Whales of the St. Lawrence
The maritime estuary of the St. Lawrence River, where Tadoussac is located, is a meeting place for the local whales – 13 species including the endangered and protected fin, minke, humpback and blue whales.
Tadoussac is a kind of larder for all these whales, with an underwater relief that favors the concentration of krill (the whales’ staple diet) and fish. From May and throughout the summer, whales gather here to feast until autumn, before migrating to milder but less nourishing waters.
There are 13 species of whales in the river’s waters, including belugas, fin whales, great whales, blue whales and porpoises. There are even sperm whales ( Moby Dick’s iconic whale).
Research, education and conservation
Whales are animals with a lifespan close to that of humans, social, mysterious and quite difficult to study.
At the Centre d’Interprétation des Mammifères Marins (CIMM), we were able to see several whale skeletons incredibly well preserved by GREMM scientists and researchers, which we were even able to touch. Although in skeletal form, the whales look a little like dinosaurs, and the atmosphere is vaguely Jurassic Park.
RESEARCH
GREMM takes a lifelong, cross-generational approach to research on these marine mammals.
Several students and PhD students join the center periodically, and with great energy and creativity, whales are studied, tracked and, when they die, preserved as skeletons for posterity.
There are several tracking programs in the river (and a whale is not so easy to track, because despite their large size, they are quite discreet when you scan the water surface with binoculars or with your eyes).
GREMM tracks belugas and great whales, and all the other animals that pass through the area.
EDUCATION
If you’re going out on the water on the St. Lawrence (by kayak, motorboat, sailboat…), you can take the free online training offered by the Center for the Protection of Whales and Whale-Boat Cohabitation. Unfortunately, many of the whales whose skeletons were seen at the CIMM died caught in fishing nets.
CONSERVATION
In 2002, GREMM launched the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Network, a mission to organize and implement measures to reduce marine mammal mortality (rescue animals in trouble, study those who have died, protect marine space to reduce risks).
Today, the network has 14 parent organizations and receives around 350 calls a day.
The network’s website and telephone number can be found here!
GREMM is also part of the Alliance Éco-Baleine, founded in 2011 for the conservation of whales and the natural space of the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park.
Seeing whales in the river
Now we come to an industry that is often criticized: boat tours and cruises to see St. Lawrence whales in their natural habitat. Over-tourism, disturbance of the ecosystem, possible accidents between boats and whales…
We took a boat out with the Innue Essipit company, a member of the Eco Whale Alliance. We took a 2-hour tour in a 12-person zodiac with Julien, a captain who could have been a character in a Wes Anderson film, and who covered his boat with stickers from Greenpeace and other conservation organizations-and a paper printed in a Sea Shepherd plastic pouch.
He told us that some of the new captains of the tourist vehicles don’t respect the animals (for whales, he says “she” or “the animal”) and get too close or cut them off, and that this can be dangerous, but that he and the old-established captains of the estuary respect the distance and speed recommendations (when the whale is close, we turn off the engine) so as not to disturb it.
The whale we followed in the middle of the river was Ti-Croche, a fin whale that Captain Julien hadn’t seen since 2013. It was like seeing a good friend again, and of the people in the big red jackets lent by Essipit on the boat, it was sometimes the one who was happiest to see a breath, a flash of mercury-grey back gliding over the water, or a fin (an identifier to know which whale’s tip you’re seeing).
It was reassuring and interesting, and we got to see a whale up very, very close, and we recommend seeing these animals – as Captain Julien would say – while they’re still in the river, while they’re still around.
Essipit tours last two hours, and you can book a tour in a 12-person boat or a 36-person boat. You need to dress warmly, with closed shoes, because in the middle of the river, you lose 10 degrees even in summer.
Don’t forget your (sports) sunglasses and your camera (with the little thread to attach it around your wrist or neck)!
When? high season from June 30 to September 1 / low season from June 6 to 29
Where? departure from Marina des Bergeronnes, 498 rue de la Mer
How much? from $85/person for the 12-passenger boat, from $70/person for the 36-passenger boat
Website? https://vacancesessipit.com/
We also recommend learning more about (and from) the Innu community of Tadoussac, with these places and activities.
For a vacation that doesn’t involve the destruction of the ecosystem, and to come back better educated about Quebec’s nature and animals, Tadoussac could be the perfect weekend!
Have a nice weekend!