The Death of an Urban Whale

Have you been paying attention to the story of a humpback whale in Montreal? A couple of weeks ago city-dwellers were startled to see a whale in the St.Lawrence river, a first in living memory. Initially reports claimed that it was the first time this had ever happened, which seemed like rather typical human hubris to me. How do we know whether whales frequented this section of the mighty river in the past? 

Montrealers have flocked to viewing spots for what is an unprecedented sight in these times. Warnings have been issued about getting too close in smaller boats as people attempt to get closer. 

We have seen several of the 10 whale species of the St. Lawrence "up close and personal" in the past  but around Tadoussac, which is nearly 500 kilometres away, as well as in the Saguenay River. . Humpbacks. as with other whales. are salt-water creatures and at Montreal the river is brackish, mostly freshwater. This whale could survive here for a time but not flourish, and the presence of ships and effluent from the city would make this a less than desirable habitat. 

I've wondered whether reduced shipping traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic might have emboldened this humpback to make what seems to be an atypical foray upstream in the river. Was there a time before European arrival when seals and porpoises and whales ventured farther from the gulf of St. Lawrence?. A friend who worked on ocean-going ships told us about being alone on the early morning bridge watch while passing Anticosti Island and seeing hundreds of porpoises. He said is was a magical experience. 

Today we got news that this humpback has died of causes unknown. A necropsy will be performed to establish the cause of death, if possible. We can mourn the death of this leviathan, to use a biblical term.from the psalms and Job and Isaiah which was eventually used for whales. We can also mourn the loss of diversity in the seas and oceans and great rivers which would have been wonders to behold.