Sunday, July 8 . . .Whales!

In the morning, Sophia and I go over to the ferry station. Today we are traveling on the Apollo to Newfoundland. Our assignment is to teach the crew the importance of being an observer on their trips back and forth between here and Newfoundland. The purser, Martin, is very excited to see us and tells us we are not to worry about paying for any rides and we are welcome to come on at any time. We walk onto the vessel to find a sitting room and bar, a cafeteria with video games and even a ball play pen. Martin finds us again and brings us up to the captains deck to meet the captain and the 2nd mate.

The captain is a dark man, as though he has many secrets up his sleeve. As Sophia begins to explain what we are doing he seems very hesitant to distract the crew from their job. She explains that all she is asking is for someone to write down in a book that we are giving them anytime they see a whale. The 2nd mate seems excited and gladly takes on the job. They always see many whales. We’re grateful to have more observers helping us out.

Our main project is the Marine Species at Risk program. We ask fishermen and other frequent water travelers to observe the marine animals in the area. We give them charts to identify whales, sharks and wolfish. If they see one, they write down the type of animal, the time they saw it and certain behaviors that it is showing off. We also give the observers a camera in hopes they are able to take a picture of the animal as proof. Many people believe that many of the species that are claimed to be around here in fact are not. With the help of these observers, we can prove the biodiversity in the region and keep accounts of the populations of already endangered animals and animals at risk, such as the blue whale and the sperm whale. The most common whales seen in this area are humpback whales and minke whales, but there have been past sightings of sperm whales, blue whales, beluga whales, killer whales and, at one time, the right whale.

We head back below. As we travel across the Atlantic from Quebec to Newfoundland, the boat is rocking back and forth so it is very hard to walk. I am weary and head outside to talk to some passengers. Suddenly a woman exclaims, “Look! Over there! Whales!” In the distance, spouts of water fly into the air. Sophia quickly takes out her observation book and begins writing down the time. She hands me the binoculars to see what type of whale it is. As I am watching I see a small fin emerge from the water. The whales keep swimming and expelling the water to breathe. I realize that the whale is showing no sign of a tail. I determine that there are three or four Minke whales. Sophia takes the binoculars to confirm by the shape of the fin.

We arrive in Newfoundland as a puff of black exhaust leaves the Apollo. We approach towns that look as if no more than 10 people live in them. There are all sorts of boats anchored in the water and it is obvious what everyone does for a living. The land is very flat and has tall trees. There is more grass than moss, and I wonder why the landscape here is so different from Quebec even though the two places are only eight kilometers away from each other. After passing a couple of towns, we finally dock. Sophia and I stay on the boat until it leaves for Blanc Sablon a little time later. Our ride back isn’t as exciting as we just sit inside and watch the boat roll over the waves. We see two more Minke whales on our way back, and a puffin flies by the window. When we arrive, Trish’s husband, Rudolph, is waiting for us with his two daughters. He declares that we are going out to supper with them in Labrador.