Floating whale carcass found in Varennes likely same humpback wandering Montreal: research group

 Kalina Laframboise 4 hrs ago© Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press A boat approaches a lifeless humpback whale drifting down the St. Lawrence River near Vercheres, Que. on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. A whale research group says a wayward humpback whale that had captivated crowds in the Montreal area in recent days appears to have been found dead.

A wandering humpback whale who made its way to Montreal’s Old Port in late May appears to have died.

A maritime pilot posted a video on Twitter early Tuesday morning of a floating whale carcass in the St. Lawrence River in Varennes, a suburb on Montreal’s south shore.

READ MORE: Montreal’s rare humpback whale sighting draws crowds and concern

The Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) said the whale is likely the same one that enchanted spectators in Montreal, but stopped short of confirming.

“At this time, it is impossible to confirm that this is the humpback whale observed in recent weeks in Montreal, but it is likely that it was him,” the organization wrote in a Facebook post. “A team of fishery officers is currently en route to the last known location of this carcass to learn more.”

Experts will also perform a necropsy on the whale carcass, according to GREMM.

Simon Lebrun@LebrunSimon

Triste nouvelle, la baleine est échouée dans le secteur de Varennes. @rdimatin @RadioCanadaInfo

1066:49 AM – Jun 9, 2020Twitter Ads info and privacy159 people are talking about this

The young humpback whale was first spotted in late May under the Jacques-Cartier Bridge in Montreal near the city’s La Ronde amusement park. It attracted large crowds of spectators for days.

The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network said it was the first time a humpback whale had been spotted in Montreal.

At the time, the organization said it was unclear why it was there but that it could be that it was following prey, possibly disoriented or perhaps just a young whale exploring new territory.

— With files from the Canadian Press

 CBC/Radio-Canada 1 hour ago

A humpback whale that had enchanted Montrealers and drawn crowds near the Old Port has died. 

The whale’s lifeless body was seen Tuesday morning, drifting down the St. Lawrence river near Varennes, about 30 kilometres upstream from the city.

Robert Michaud, the co-ordinator for the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Network, said a team will be on-site in the next few hours to assess what to do with the carcass. 

The whale was last seen swimming near Pointe-aux-Trembles, before disappearing for two days.

Experts had hoped the whale was swimming back to Tadoussac, further upstream in salt water.

According to Michaud, it was the first time a humpback whale made its way into Montreal waters. 

Humpback whales are one of the large marine mammal species, measuring up to 15 metres long.