Migrating whales an unexpected sight off northern Newfoundland
Last Updated: Saturday, April 25, 2009 | 5:36 PM NT
CBC News
These beluga whales were spotted off St. Anthony, N.L., on Saturday morning. (Submitted by Todd Pilgrim)A mass gathering of beluga whales off St. Anthony, on Newfoundland's northern coast, caught residents by surprise Saturday morning.
Tour boat operator Lou Alcock watched the spectacle from the shoreline with his son.
Alcock estimated the animals numbered in the hundreds.
"They stretched probably about half a mile along the shore and about 20 yards wide … all whales," Alcock said
Biologist Dave Snow said that while individual belugas or small pods are a common occurrence in the area, such a large group has never been seen before.
"Nothing like this has ever been seen off the Newfoundland coast or the Labrador coast. We're wondering about the ice conditions in the Davis Strait or if some other phenomenon has driven them south," Snow said.
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