On a July morning thick with seabird chatter and the scent of salt, Meristem arced gracefully beneath the sun-brushed waves of Witless Bay. There was a feeling of promise in the air, like the ocean was about to reveal a secret only the whales knew.

Meristem, a proud female traveller of the North Atlantic, has a fondness for the lively headlands and kelpy coves of Newfoundland and Labrador, especially around Witless Bay. From her first recorded hello in July 2007, she’s appeared there time and again, almost as if she can’t resist the summer gatherings of puffins and capelin just off the coast.

But Meristem’s journey doesn’t end with the island’s green cliffs. In September 2009, her powerful tail brought her to the swirling tides of the Bay of Fundy. It’s a spot many whales seek when autumn nips the air—perhaps Meristem fancied a change of pace, or just followed her nose to a different feast.

For four more summers, from 2011 through 2015, she returned to Witless Bay, blending in with the rolling fog and the chorus of gulls. Then, silence. The ocean held her story close, keeping Meristem’s adventures tucked away for over a decade.

Imagine the delight in 2026, when her fluke was seen slicing the bright waters off St. Lunaire-Griquet far to the north. Where had Meristem wandered all those years? The mysteries of the sea are many, and her long absence only deepens the wonder.