Out by Camel Island, the fog likes to roll in just thick enough to hide capelin and sunlight alike—but every now and then, a visitor announces himself with a wild, wind-tossed splash. On one such high-spirited summer morning, it was Shrimp who made a grand entrance, catching the sun on his sleek back as if the sea itself meant for him to shine.
Shrimp's travels are a patchwork quilt—stitched from cool Atlantic corners and bright, bracing breezes. Back in October 2017, he was spotted off Cape Cod, where autumn paints the coastline bold and fishermen keep a close eye on the horizon, just in case a giant tail flickers by. He slipped north after that, and it wasn’t until almost six years later, in September 2023, that Shrimp surfaced amongst the rolling blue of Baie de Gaspé, Quebec. There’s no telling where he fed or swam in the gap—such is the mystery of the sea.
As if guided by a compass only known to whales and old mariners, Shrimp made his next appearance not far from there, off Grande-Grave in Quebec, just a September after. Tides and currents brought him onward, and come July 2026, he turned up near Camel Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, slicing through the water with the quiet confidence of a seasoned traveller.
No two years are ever quite the same, but Shrimp’s track across the Atlantic is proof of the endless highway beneath the surface. Each sighting threads a story between the people on the cliffs above and the restless lives moving below.
Have you seen Shrimp? If so, you could help fill in the blanks of his wide-ranging tale. Share your photos and stories—every sighting adds a patch to Shrimp’s quilt and helps researchers learn about these mysterious travels across borders and seasons.
Humpback whales can migrate over 5,000 kilometres between their summer feeding grounds and winter breeding areas—one of the longest migrations of any mammal on Earth!
Off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States
October 22, 2017
Baie de Gaspé, Quebec, Canada
September 15, 2023
Grande-Grave, Quebec, Canada
September 17, 2024
Off Camel Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
July 26, 2026
This is Happywhale's real data for this whale. The story above was generated based on these details, and a few creative assumptions.

Now that you've met Shrimp, introduce them to your friends! Share this page directly below or to post as a social media story. Use #HelloHumpbackNL in your post to stay connected to all the other whale stories from Newfoundland and Labrador's coasts.
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By submitting to Happywhale, your sighting can become part of Shrimp's data. Not only will it make their story richer for the next time they're spotted, but you'll become part of a global citizen science effort to better understand our oceans and the humpback whales that call them home.