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Enormous whales, belugas and seals are found in the
St. Lawrence River. These marine mammals are drawn by the abundant food found
in these waters, as are the hundreds of thousands birds
living in the area. Fish and shellfish are caught
as food by humans, though quotas are established to prevent overfishing. Did you
know that laws exist to protect endangered animals, plants
and habitats? And there are many fun facts
to learn about the river!
Fishermen have been plying their trade on the St. Lawrence River for over 500
years. Unfortunately, humans have been overfishing the river, and the fishermen's
catches are getting smaller and smaller. In the depths of the waters of the St.
Lawrence Estuary, mollusks and shellfish are not as healthy as they once were.
It seems it has to do with something they ate…
Casting a net in the river
Cod fed Europe for centuries
English, Breton and Basque fishermen used to catch cod off the coast
of Newfoundland many years before the arrival of Jacques Cartier in
1534. They would establish summer camps in Newfoundland and on the
surrounding islands in order to sun dry cod. This industry was very
lucrative, since fish in Europe were becoming rarer and was a foodstuff
prized by wealthy patrons. At the time, a full load of cod fetched
a high price indeed!
Catching cod by the netful is a thing of the
past
The lean flesh of sun dried cod took up little room when packed in
a ship's hold, which meant fishermen could bring back many other species
of fish! For over 500 years, fishermen greedily cast their nets in
the St. Lawrence Gulf. The government imposed a moratorium on cod
fishing a dozen years ago after it was noticed that cod stocks were
dropping drastically. Slowly, the cod is making a comeback, but fishermen
will have to wait a long, long time before they can catch this fish
by the netful like was done in the past!
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon lays its eggs in the Saguenay Fjord, as well as
in the fresh water rivers of Gaspésie and the North Shore.
The salmon is a strong fish that travels up rapids by leaping over
them. It is for this reason sports fishers love to go fly fishing
for salmon. And best of all, salmon is delicious! However, the pink
salmon steaks sold in grocery stores come from fish farms, and they
do not taste as good as those from fish caught in the wild. Just one
more reason to grab your fishing pole and head out to the river to
catch some salmon!
Capelin rolling on the beach
In the spring, schools of capelins (small, silver-coloured fish) are
carried towards the banks of the St. Lawrence Estuary by the tide.
These little fish then jump up on the beach to breed, rolling around
in the sand in the process. All of these fish coming to shore is a
feast for cats and many other animals, carrion eaters and insects!
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