Young whale found dead

– A young humpback whale that swam up one of Canada’s major rivers, delighting Montrealers who packed the shores for a glimpse of the first of the species in local waters, has died.

The pilot of a passing commercial ship spotted a “whale carcass” near Varennes in Quebec province, about 20km east of Montreal, Marie-Eve Muller of the Quebec Emergency Network for Marine Mammals (RQUMM) said.

The body was towed by the Canadian fisheries department to Sorel, 80km east of Montreal, where it was lifted onto shore with a giant crane.

“It is very likely that it is the same whale observed near Montreal a few days ago,” Muller said.

The giant creature had been seen last week swimming in the Saint Lawrence river, diving against the backdrop of the Montreal skyline.

The two- to three-year-old cetacean had appeared healthy from a distance and scientists hoped it would head back to the estuary and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, more than 400km away.

The pilot of the boat who discovered the carcass, told Radio Canada he had not “seen any blood or deformation”, which would indicate the possibility of a collision with a ship.

A team comprised of RQUMM, federal fisheries and University of Montreal veterinary medicine officials was headed to the site “to learn more.”

An autopsy has been planned to determine the cause of death.

Local media, citing experts, speculated that the whale may have been struck by a cargo ship or ran aground in shallow waters.

Humpback whales live near both the Arctic and Antarctic, with adults growing up to 17m and weighing up to 40 tons.