The Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park spans 1,245 km2 and aims to enhance the protection of the exceptional biodiversity of the Saguenay Fjord and the St. Lawrence Estuary. Nearly 2,200 animal and plant species inhabit this marine protected area, including endangered species such as beluga, blue whale and barrow's goldeneye. The marine park attracts many researchers and visitors from all walks of life.
The St. Lawrence beluga is the only whale species that resides in the marine park year-round and gives birth there. While there were nearly 10,000 individuals at the end of the 19th century, the species is now endangered with a population of less than 900 individuals. Currently, the limits of the marine park cover 37 percent of the beluga's critical habitat.
The Marine Activities in the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park Regulation enhances the protection of the park's ecosystems, particularly for the benefit of species in precarious situations, like the beluga. The regulation controls activities that take place in the marine park and specifies behaviours to be adhered to in order to allow a healthy coexistence between users and marine mammals.
Several sections of the regulation are directly concerned with the protection of the beluga in order to provide it with the space and tranquility it requires:
· Minimum distance of 400 metres between boats and belugas and an obligation to move away from them at between 5 and 10 knots when within a radius of 926 m from a beluga;
· Speed reduced to 15 knots in the mouth of the Saguenay River;
· Possibility of establishing areas excluded from navigation (as is the case for Baie Sainte-Marguerite as of 2018).
In addition to the regulation, many other measures have been put in place through collaboration with the multiple stakeholders working in the marine park.
Since 2013, the shipping industry has voluntarily committed to reducing navigation speed to 10 knots between May 1 and October 31 in the large-whale feeding grounds off the coast of la Haute-Côte-Nord. With the remarkable buy-in of ship owners and pilots, the average transit speed has decreased from 14.2 knots when the measure is inactive to 10.8 knots when active, thereby reducing the risk of a collision.
Since 2019, and with the collaboration of the cruise industry, 44 percent of the marine park's area is now free of commercial whale watching excursions with the establishment of a conservation area in the Middle Estuary. In summer, nearly a quarter of the St. Lawrence beluga population can be found in the Middle Estuary off the coast of Charlevoix. Female belugas and their young make extensive use of this part of the St. Lawrence Estuary as it offers shallower, warmer waters and a high abundance of prey.
A participatory management model
The Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park was created in 1998 at the request of the community to protect the beluga and its habitat. Since then, participatory management structures have been put in place, such as the Marine Park Coordinating Committee, which brings together representatives from the park's riverside regional county municipalities, the Essipit Innu First Nation, the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation as well as representatives from the science and education communities.
The mandate of the committee, which represents the interests of 26 municipalities, various levels of government, Indigenous partners and the science community, is to recommend strategies to park managers to achieve the objectives of the marine protected area.
Relationships with First Nations
Essipit Innu First Nation has been involved since the very beginning of the marine park. The community contributes to the protection and enhancement of the park by sharing its vision of sustainable use and by proactively collaborating with the various committees, including the Marine Park Coordination Committee.
Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation has been a member of the Coordination Committee since 2019. The establishment of an Indigenous Guardians Program by the First Nation, developed in partnership with Parks Canada in 2022, contributes to marine conservation within the park.
Presence within riverside communities
The co-managers of the marine park have been anchored in the region for more than 25 years and have developed lasting relationships with coastal communities, Indigenous communities, non-profit organizations, the tourism industry, municipalities, and the scientific research and education communities.
In partnership with Parks Canada, CPAWS, municipalities and several other organizations, a network of 21 discovery sites is present on the shores bordering the marine park. The Discovery Network invites visitors to discover the marine environment in different ways in the four tourist regions adjacent to the park: Charlevoix, Côte-Nord, Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Bas-Saint-Laurent. Several sites in this network offer unique vantage points to observe belugas in their natural environment, while leaving them with all the peace and space they require.
