For a few quiet years, Joe slipped out of sight. Whatever path he took between Unseen and Seen, he turned up again in July 2019, this time up to a mile off the length of Horsechops. A month later, he was making his presence known in the wide arms of Trinity Bay—a place where humpbacks chase capelin and fishing boats share the water with giants.

The summer of 2020 was busy. Sightings stack up: off Spaniards Cove, the open water near Trinity, scattered points through Trinity Bight, then east of Trinity, by English Harbour, and again near Bonaventure Head. Joe seemed restless, as if exploring every angle of the bay, sampling its riches and perhaps meeting up with other whales traveling similar paths.

In recent years, Joe showed the same pattern—surfacing around Duntara, Trinity Bay, St. John’s, Bay Bulls, and southwest of Green Island. He’s a male who sticks to the well-known haunts, rarely venturing far from Newfoundland and Labrador’s bustling summer coast.

Have you seen Joe—exploring the capelin-filled bays or passing the rocky headlands? Every sighting adds a piece to his story and helps researchers follow the movements of these incredible whales. If you spot Joe, submit your sighting to help citizen science thrive.