8/9/2019 Summary State Marine Park Report

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The Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park : rich and coveted ecosystems

A marine park : The Saguenay-St. LawrenceMarine Park was created in recognition of the exceptionalimportance of its ecosystems. The Park covers an area of1,246 km2 that is composed of the water column as well asthe underlying seafloor up to the mean high-tide mark.

Two water courses : Located at the heart of theMarine Park, the confluence of the Saguenay and St. Lawrencerivers is very rich yet it also bears the impact of human activities(1). The upwelling of coldwater (2) promotes the developmentof marine life and the accumulation of forage species.

Three ecosystems : The Marine Park is madeup of three tightly connected ecosystems, each with its owndistinct biological and physical characteristics : the Upper

St. Lawrence Estuary (3) (53 percent of the Marine Parksurface area), the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary (4) (30 percentof the Marine Park surface area) and the Saguenay Fjord (5)(17 percent of the Marine Park Surface Area).

Millennia of human presence :Indigenous people have used this territory for over8,000 years. The arrival of Europeans led to the intensiveuse of resources and an ensuing modification and pollution ofthe St. Lawrence and its tributaries. Protection andrestoration measures have been initiated over the past30 years. Representatives from coastal and scientificcommunities are currently working together for theconservation, education and discovery of the Marine Park, aswell as other protected areas of the region, such as the ParcNational du Saguenay.

One million visitors : The Marine Park offersa host of recreational and discovery experiences to coastal

residents and visitors alike. About one million people visit theMarine Park and the many sites located in its co-ordinationarea every year.

The components of the ecosystem The freshwater flow of the vast Saguenay watershed is highly regulated by dams. A thin layer of freshwater and brackish water (10-20 m) flows along the surface, whilean enormous mass of cold saltwater, representing 93 percent of the water in the Fjordwhich originates from the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary, flows below. The Saguenay Fjord, which at its deepest is 275 m, is divided into three basins that arepartially isolated by sills. Its steep, rocky shores are interrupted by bays with grassy patches. The spawning grounds of small forage fish that play a key rol e in the ecosystem, suchas smelt and capelin, are situated near an urbanized and industrialized zone upstream ofthe Marine Park.

Ecological processes Biologically speaking, the Fjord is not especially productive. However, it does benefit

from the bounty of the Lower St. Lawrence Estuary through the intrusion of cold, s alty,well-oxygenated and plankton-laden water (2).

The shape of the Fjords basins facilitates the accumulation of chemical contaminantsin the sediment. Recent studies indicate that the internal recruitment of groundfish, such as cod anddeepwater redfish, is weak or nonexistent. These fish probably migrated into the Fjordfrom the St. Lawrence where populations have since been over-fished.

Sources of pressure Wastewater runoff and atmospheric fallout from urban and industrialized areassituated upstream are sources of chemical contamination (9). The accumulation of new, less-contaminated sediment impedes the recirculation of themore contaminated toxic sediment built up over the past decades. Contamination by faecal coliforms from wastewater limits recreational clam harvesting. While commercial fishing is not permitted, sport fishing for groundfish andanadromous fish is a major contributing factor in the decline of these populations (10).

The Saguenay Fjord :a unique environment

Components of the ecosystem Freshwater and saltwater are well mixed. It contains a wide range of habitats : tidal flats, islands, bays,rocky shores and deep basins.Ecological processesA great variety of species carry out important activities in thisarea, notably reproduction (herring, seabirds (6), harbour seals,beluga whales (7)), as well as feeding, resting andover-wintering.

Sources of pressure

Faecal coliform contamination from wastewater and seabirdcolonies limits recreational clam harvesting. Only slightly affected by the accumulation of chemicalcontaminants due to strong currents, with the exception of watersnear wharves. Boat traffic, made up in part of pleasure boaters and tourvessels, can disturb nurturing periods for birds, seals andbeluga whales. Sport fishing for smelt and the hunting of migratory birdsspecies are common local activities. The intensive commercial harvesting (8) of invertebrate species(clams and sea urchins) takes place near the Alouettes tidal flats,a portion of the Marine Park with a very high level of biodiversity.

Components of the ecosystem In summer the water column is divided into three layers. However, in winter, only two layers are distinguished bydifferences in temperature and salinity.The north shore is mainly rocky with several muddy deposits that are subject to erosion.The rocky bottom is home to exceptionally beautiful underwater fauna and flora (11).The deep underwater valley of the Laurentian Channel (12) enables water from the Atlantic Ocean to flow into theheart of the Marine Park.The most extensive salt marshes of the Marine Park are si tuated in Les Bergeronnes (13).

Ecological processesThe upwelling of cold saltwater at the head of the Laurentian Channel (2) has a major influence on the ecologicalconditions of the region; it promotes biological productivity (14) (phytoplankton) and the accumulation of prey(zooplankton (15) and small fish (16)).

The Lower St. Lawrence Estuary :a food pantry

The Upper St. Lawrence Estuary :nursing grounds

Fish, whales, seals and birds converge in the Marine Park to feed (17) on zooplankton (copepods, krill) and smallfish (capelin).

Sources of pressure Dense and heavy boat traffic (18) is focused mainly on observing marine mammals that use the area as afeeding ground. The head of the Laurentian Channel is an area where chemical contaminants from further upstream tend toaccumulate (19). Faecal coliform contamination from wastewater and seabird colonies limits recreational clam harvesting. Nutrient leaching from agriculture, deforestation and wastewater in the St. Lawrence watershed contributes tolowering oxygen levels in the deep waters of the downstream portion of the Marine Park (20). Recreational harvesting includes migratory bird hunting, sealing, clam harvesting and fishing. Commercial fishing targets several species: clams, crab, turbot, scallops, whelks and seals.

Photos:Parks Canada / D.Rosset / R.Michaud / H.Michaud / J.Audet / H.Gilbert / N.Boivert / F.Di Domenico/ J.DesaulniersFisheriesand OceansCanada / N. Simard / J.-F.St-Pierre / Parcnational du SaguenaySpaq / S.Turcotte / Concept:BlizzArt Communication

Upper Estuary

Capelin

Copepod

PhytoplanktonInflowofwaterfromtheLowerEstu

ary

Influxofnutrients:increaseinbiologicalproductivityUpwellingofcoldw

aterfromtheLowerEstuarySummary of theof the Saguenay-St. L

Marine Par

Diagram of the major components o f the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park ecosystems,the main ecological processes and sources of pressure

8/9/2019 Summary State Marine Park Report

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Codes and symbols used to represent the states and trends of measures

and indicators

Good

Fair

Poor or altered

Unknown

Improving

Deteriorating

Stable

Unknown

State of measures and indicators Trend in measures and indicators

The Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park was created in 1998 ater several years opublic support, consultations and negotiations. Managed jointly by the governmentso Canada and Quebec with the participation o coastal communities, it is part oboth the network o National Marine Conservation Areas (NMCA) and o Quebecsprovincial parks system.

The establishment o the Marine Park is a tribute to the remarkable signicance o itsterritory. This dynamic marine environment depends not only on phenomena occur-ring within, but also beyond, its boundaries. In much the same way, close collaborationbetween various ministries, user groups and coastal communities is essential to thehealthy management o this territory.

Ater a decade o existence, it became necessary to evaluate the state o the MarinePark to guide uture actions aimed at attaining its objectives. The present documenthighlights the main results o this evaluation, which can also be ound in a c ompleteorm in the State o the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park Report 2007.

The analysis presented in this report was guided by the Marine Parks objective toenhance the level o protection o representative portions o the Saguenay Fjord andSt. Lawrence Estuary ecosystems or conservation purposes or present and uturegenerations, while encouraging its use or educational, recreational and scienticpurposes. The evaluation encompasses the co-ordination area o the Park and coversthe years 1995year the management plan was tabledto 2007. An integrated multi-disciplinary approach was required to put together a representative portrait o thestate o the Marine Park and progress achieved since its establishment. In keeping

with this approach, this rst report assesses inormation rom key topics divided intosix chapters. Summary results are presented below.

Evaluation method for indicators and measures

The state o each o the key topics was evaluated using indicators derived romseveral variables called measures. Where sucient knowledge permitted, trends othe indicators or measures were also evaluated.

Socio-economic indicatorsThe Marine Park and surrounding area is very dynamic in terms o tourism development,generating economic spin-os estimated at $204 million. The benets o commercial andrecreational harvesting activities, specically shing and hunting, have yet to be evaluated.

2. State of marine ecosystems, biodiversity, the coastal environment andwatershedsThe main objective o the Marine Park as stated in its mandate, to enhance the protectiono ecosystems (see diagram on back), has not yet been reached. The St. Lawrence has beendeveloped, modied and polluted over the course o the past ew centuries. Protection andrestoration measures have only been initiated in the past 30 years or so. Developing pro-tection measures requires considerable time and eort. Indicators must be identied in orderto monitor the state o ecosystems and the eectiveness o management decisions.

State of the Upper St. Lawrence EstuaryThis portion o the Marine Park makes up 53 percent o its total surace area. Yet, it is the

least known portion o the Marine Park, which makes it dicult to evaluate its state. It includessensitive habitat, such as spawning and nursing grounds that are vital or the renewal opopulations like that o the beluga whale. Reproduction and eeding areas will have to bemonitored in order to evaluate the state o this ecosystem or the species that depend on them.

State of the Lower St. Lawrence EstuaryMaking up 30 percent o the Marine Park surace area, the Lower Estuary is judged to be airand stable or several reasons. First o all, the sedimentation o persistent contaminants thatfow down rom the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence watersheds has a major impact on theecosystem. Furthermore, oxygen depletion in the deep waters o the easternmost portion othe Marine Park may represent a barrier to circulation o mobile bottom-dwelling animals orto the development o benthic species. Finally, variations in the abundance o zooplanktonand other species could have an infuence on the number o marine mammals that migrateinto the area to eed. Monitoring o orage species should be undertaken.

State of the Saguenay FjordThe portion o the Saguenay Fjord included in the Marine Park represents 17 percent o thesurace o the protected area. The state o the Fjord is considered air and deteriorating dueto the precarious situation o groundsh populations. Moreover, although some contaminantsthat were problematical in the past have been covered over by resh sediment, new contaminants

have since been deposited into the Fjord.

State of biodiversity

The state o populations o species at risk and the growing threats to their recovery aresources o concern. The Marine Park includes important habitat or a dozen species at risk.The area covered by the Marine Park is especially vital to the beluga whale and Barrowsgoldeneye. Although the Marine Park was initially created or the purpose o protecting thebeluga whale, this population is not showing signs o increase, yet remains stable, despitenumerous eorts to reduce pollution in the St. Lawrence and the existence o a beluga whalerecovery plan since 1995. Ever-increasing boat trac is one source o concern, along withthe presence o persistent contaminants in the beluga whales. None o the beluga whalesintensive use areas have been specically protected; though projects that are on the way willsoon correct this situation.

The state of coastal habitats and watershedsThe state o health o the Marine Parks ecosystems is intimately connected to human activitiesoccurring in coastal areas and surrounding watersheds. The state o coastal habitats and

watersheds is air due to shoreline erosion, the use o rocks to prevent erosion and coastaldevelopment.

3. State ecologically sustainable useThe creation o the Marine Park led to the necessity o managing the activities that infuenceits state. As a result, management tools adapted to a marine protected area and the ullmento its objectives are required. Indicators o ecologically sustainable use are designed to as sessthe eectiveness o management tools in achieving Marine Park goals.

Management of non-consumptive marine activitiesThe state o the management o non-consumptive activities is considered to be air owing tothe increase in vessel trac, which could aect the state o the Marine Park in several ways.Motorized vessel trac has been evaluated at 91,000 transits per year, hal o which are errycrossings. In addition there are approximately 60,000 kayak visit-days. Although improve-

ments have been noted, anticipated results o the management o thesebeen achieved.

Management of harvesting activitiesManagement o harvesting activities is considered poor due to the act thinto account the concept o ecologically sustainable use. This concept mumarine protected area. A signicant decline in groundsh populations hasSaguenay Fjord since 1999. Furthermore, commercial harvesting activities havin recent years without the requisite knowledge o the state o populatiothis activity on ecosystems. Fisheries and Marine Park managers have laudene model shing principles within the protected area.

4. State of landscapes and cultural heritage

The Marine Park area is known or its beautiul landscapes. Several peareas, such as the Parc National du Saguenay, contribute to the preserva

and o marine ecosystems. Despite these eorts, the state o this indicatonumber o cultural components and key ecosystems are not protected inthe Marine Park.

5. State of visitor experiences

The Marine Park region oers visitors and coastal residents the opportunity to recreational and discovery experiences. These experiences oster a greater and develop a culture o conservation. The number o visits to the co-ordinmated at over one million in 2005. On the whole, the state o visitor experito be good due to the act that Marine Park services and activities are integestablished regional tourist industry. A 2005 visitor use and satisaction76 percent o visitors knew they were in a protected area when visiting th

6. State of education and public awareness

A public awareness and education program aimed at the general public aessential to achieve the Marine Parks objectives. The state o this indicator is

as education and public awareness programs are being developed. Howo these types o activities is more opportunistic than st rategic. There is pknowing i educational and communication actions are ostering enhancMarine Park on behal o visitors and coastal residents.

In conclusionThe analysis o the state o the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park made it inormation, highlight achievements, draw attention to priority issues and gaps that need to be lled in order to ensure more eective monitoring oInormation contained in this report should oster a common vision to direeectively achieve Marine Park objectives.

To learn more about the Marine Park, we invite you to contact us or conWeb Sites:www.marinepark.qc.ca

1The co-ordination area includes the territories o seven municipal regional counties that border onthe Marine Park. The co-ordination committee is composed o coastal community representatives and orepresentatives rom the felds o education and science.

Summary results

1. State of governance and socio-economic characteristics

Governance indicatorGiven that the success o marine protected areas requires the support o local commu-nities, o users and o government, good governance is undamental. The oundationso Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park governance have been progressively imple-mented in collaboration with stakeholders since 1995. The co-ordinating committeeprovides a privileged orum or securing the participation o regional stakeholders inthe Marine Parks management. The overall state o governance is considered good andstable. Closer collaboration with other departments, both at the ederal and provinciallevels, must be developed to tackle key Marine Park issues that all under governmentaljurisdiction (e.g., sheries management, habitat protection and the reduction o con-taminants). Users must adopt the Marine Park as their own and participate to a greaterextent in attaining its objectives.

Parks CanadaSaguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park182, rue de lglise, P.O. Box 220Tadoussac, (Quebec) G0T 2A0Telephone: 418 235-4703 ext. 0www.pc.qc.ca

Parcs QubecParc national du Sa91, rue Notre-DameRivire-ternit (QuTelephone: 418 272www.parcsquebec.c

To learn more about the state o the St. Lawrence and its species at risk, consult Whales Online: www.whales-online.netSaint-Laurent Vision 2000: www.slv2000.qc.caSt. Lawrence Observatory: www.osl.gc.caSpecies at Risk Public Registry: www.sararegistry.gc.ca

Her Majesty the Queen in Right o Canada, 2007Catalogue number: R63-360/1-2007EISBN: 978-0-662-48160-7

Aussi disponible en ranais sous le titre:Sommaire du rapport sur ltat du parc marin du SaguenaySaint Lauren

Summary of the State of the Saguenay-St. LawrenceMarine Park Report 2007

Cover photo credits: Mouth of the Saguenay, J.-F. Bergeron, Parks Canada Sea anemones, FParks Canada Ile aux Livres, J. Beardsell, Parks Canada N. Boisvert, J.-F. Bergeron, Pwhales, Robert Michaud, Parks Canada Kayakers, Alain Dumas, Parks Canada

This document was printed on recycled paper made in Canada containing 30 percent post-consumer bre, certied EnvironmentalChoice and FSC Mixed Sources and produced using biogas energy.