Petit rorqual Balaenoptera acutorostrata

The smallest of the rorquals. When they hunt fish close to the coast, it is possible to see their pinkish bellies at the surface. Abundant wherever they live, they are hunted by the Japanese and Norwegians.

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The minke whale is coastal. It can be seen from early spring to late fall along the North Shore of the St. Lawrence and around the Gaspé Peninsula. It is definitely the most common rorqual whale in the St. Lawrence and seems to be the one fishermen know best. In fact, it is the only rorqual whale with nicknames: it is often referred to as the "gibard" or "baleineau" (small whale). All of the other rorqual whales are simply known as "baleines" or whales. Of the great whales, the minke whale is one of the smallest. However, on a human scale, it is still quite impressive weighing eight tonnes and measuring eight metres long. Its acrobatics and its curiosity can turn a simple sighting into a memorable encounter.

It is both rapid and agile. To trap its prey, it uses a series of tricks that, seen from the surface, look more like games or somersaults than hunting techniques. In the St. Lawrence it feeds mainly on small schooling fish, like capelin and sand lance, or on small crustaceans, commonly known as krill.

For an animal this size, it’s not a good idea to hunt fish one at a time. We often see minke whales turning in circles near the surface. They appear to use the surface as a barrier against which they herd the fish. This manoeuvre usually ends in an oblique lunge, mouth gaping to gobble up dozens of fish at a time.

Although this species is relatively abundant, very little work has been done to study its behaviour. Due to its speed, and especially its unpredictable movements, a lot of patience is required to photo-identify a minke whale. An American biologist by the name of Eleanor Dorsey took up the challenge and, after a few years of field work, was able to define a form of territoriality. From season to season she saw the same individuals in the bays and around the islands of the San Juan archipelago south of Vancouver Island. It is probably important for a solitary hunter like the minke whale to get to know a territory so as to be able to invent tricks and adapt hunting strategies.

Studies like this one bring up many interesting questions. They show whales for what they are: large mammals facing their own challenges in their given habitat.