Whale carcass found in Contrecoeur is probably one seen near Montreal: expert

The carcass was taken with the current and had not been found again by Thursday evening.

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A researcher says a dead whale found Thursday morning in the St. Lawrence River northeast of Montreal was probably one of two minke whales seen near the city earlier this month.

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Robert Michaud, president of a Quebec marine mammal research group, says experts have yet to examine the carcass found in Contrecoeur, about 50 kilometers downstream from Montreal. The carcass was taken with the current and had not been found again by Thursday evening.

Michaud said the group would wait until the current brings it back to the surface. A necropsy could then be performed depending on the amount of decomposition. If so, it would be done by veterinary students at Université de Montréal.

two minkes whales were spotted this month near Montreal and there were concerns for their well-being, as they were about 450 kilometers upstream of their usual range.

Minke whales are common in Quebec, but they don’t generally venture west of the saltwater St. Lawrence estuary around Tadoussac.

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Ronald Gosselin, one of the fishermen behind the discovery, said he was in his boat fishing around 10 am when he saw a bizarre shape in the water, floating with the current.

“In my life, I’ve seen maybe two or three whalesincluding one that beached in Contrecoeur,” Gosselin said.

A local fishing guide, Gosselin, 66, said whales are not a common sight in the area. He spotted the mammal floating in the St. Lawrence River near Île St-Ours.

The two Montreal whales had not been seen since mid-May.

It’s unclear why whales occasionally venture into freshwater habitats, but Michaud has said there isn’t much that can be done to help them besides hoping they turn around and head home.