Marine Mammal Interpretive Center(GREMM) Tadoussac, Quebec, Canada
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Rating |
Excellent |
Age |
8 and up |
Lockers |
Not Needed |
Restrooms |
Adequate |
Food |
In town |
Closest Coffee |
In town |
Recommendation |
This is a great interpretive center. Exhibits are in French, but they have pamphlets with the same information in English. Plan about an hour. |
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Review: by Dad
This is a very informative little museum and interpretive center.
The GREMM has a dual mission. Its name, The Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals, explains it as well as I can. This is a site for the study of the great populations of marine mammals that both live here and visit annually. We had a good time and found out a lot of information.
We started with short film and Q&A session, led (in English) by one of the docents. The film was in English, so we were the only four there. Needless to say we asked a lot of questions. We found out that the whales stop here because of a very unique natural feature. The Laurentian Trench stretches from the Atlantic Ocean down the St. Lawerence River (I found this topographic map). This trench is up to 500 meters deep (1500 feet). This trench ends at Tadoussac, and the river becomes much shallower. The big blue, fin and humpback whales really won't go past this point. Additionally, the cold water of the Saguenay Fjord empties into the river just west of town. The mixing of salt and fresh water creates an estuary. These two features create an area rich in krill (the whales' food) which is deep, cold and protected. It is like a whale buffet. Most of the whales come in the spring and stay until the fall when they head back to the ocean. It is a popular feeding ground for mothers with calves.
There are some whales that live here year round. These are the belugas. There is a resident group of about 500 belugas living in the Saguenay Fjord and the Saint Lawrence River. We did not see any swimming. We did see a dead one up close that was on a trailer being shipped to the Marine Park facility for an autopsy. The beluga's story is a sad one, though. Becasue they do not leave the area, they are heavily effected by the metals and toxic chemicals from upsteream factories as far away as the Great Lakes. This really stung. Being a resident of a Lake Michigan shoreline community, I felt guilty seeing that the actions of towns like ours were killing such wonderful creatures. It is sad to drive 20 hours and realize that your waste is still right in front of you.
The area is so rich in marine life that Canada has designated this area as the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. With this designation, there are limits of distance and actions that the captains of the whale watching boats must follow. If you plan on kayaking out to see the whales, the GREMM has information so that you are sure to be within the rules, giving these magnificient animals the respect they deserve.
Additional Review:
Will: The skeletons hanging from the ceiling of the auditorium were cool. The fin whale skeleton in the parking lot was absolutely amazing. You could see how the vertebrae were held together and how they move so gracefully.
Sam: It is a small museum, and really doesn't take more than an hour to see. The exhibits are all in French, but they have a handout that translated everything into English.
Mom: The docents are bilingual and really knowledgable. We were lucky enough to find one that spoke English as her first language. She gave us a lot of information about whales, the unique seascape of Tadoussac, and the resident whales. Make sure you go to the correct introductory program. They do them in French and English, but not at the same time, so you may want to check ahead for when the next one in English is scheduled. Make sure to tour this center before you go on the Whale Watching Tours.