Call for the Wild

WWF Canada


I got to spend time with Richard, founder and president of the Mingan Island Cetacean Study, on my recent Arctic expedition with Students on Ice. He established the first long-term studies of Blue whales both in the north Atlantic and in the northeast Pacific Oceans, and in 2002 his research led to the recognition of “endangered status” for the Blue whale in Canadian waters.

© WWF – Canon / Pieter LAGENDYK
Currently, his team is out on the St. Lawrence river, working to attach satellite tags to Blue whales. He knows the local whales well, and in fact just spotted “Splish,” the first female humpback he ever identified 30 years ago.
Understanding the movements of these endangered whales is vital to protecting them. Thanks to Richard’s work, we have a good idea where Blue whales go in the St. Lawrence, but what they do once they swim out to sea a is more of a mystery. “That’s where the goldmine of information would be, if we could find out what where they go after they leave this area,” Richard says.
He has already noticed some remarkable patterns in his travels.”I’m still blown away by the fact that , having done two trips from Iceland to Greenland with Students on Ice, both times we saw mothers with calves,” he says. “In this area, they seem to be producing fewer young.” There are many factors that could be contributing to the decline – from pollutants that disrupt reproductive cycles, to disruptions in the food chain due to climate change and overfishing.
“Because of the fact that cod have largely been removed from the food chain here… the smaller fish have replaced them on the food chain. The smaller fish will then eat krill, which the Blue whale eats,” he says.
This is all the more reason to be researching the habitats and movements of whales. You can support this team’s work by voting for the Mingan Island Cetacean Study in Jamieson’s Call for the Wild contest, which will give $100,000 to Canadian wildlife projects (you can raise the amount they get by voting every day, too). Jamieson is giving $100, 000 to wildlife projects.
I’ll be waiting by the phone, so stay tuned for more updates from Richard’s team!