Plan St-Laurent - Pour un développement durable

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Highlights

For the future of the Beluga

The marsouin, as it was called by the people of Isle-aux-Coudres in the past, and now known as the Beluga by all those who are interested in some way in the St. Lawrence River or in threatened species, is the small white whale that lives all year in the St. Lawrence estuary. The Beluga was much talked about at Tadoussac, 29 September 1988.

On this day, about 100 scientists and some 200 observer members from 20 organisations studied the future of the cetacean to find out that a rather sombre future awaited it and that it was in danger of extinction. The data showed that the population of Belugas in the St. Lawrence had gone from 5000, at the start of the 20th century, to little more than 1000 at the time the International Forum for the Future of the Beluga was held at Tadoussac.

As chemical contamination of the water proved to be one of the main factors in this decline, it was quickly understood that the health of the pod was an indicator of the health of the St. Lawrence itself.  Thus promoted to the rank of biological indicator, the Beluga has become, in some way, the emblem of the St. Lawrence Plan.

For the participants of the Tadoussac forum, it was clear that the cetacean would benefit from habitat protection. The 20 conservation organisations then decided to work together to demand that measures be taken by the governments. They particularly insisted that the creation of a marine park at the Saguenay mouth become a reality as soon as possible. The ensuing events are well known: The St. Lawrence Plan undertook, since 1988, steps aimed at demarcating a park which, 10 years later, became a reality.

The St. Lawrence Beluga population did not increase since the International Forum for the Future of the Beluga was held, but it did not continue to decline either. Due to this stability, the pod has been given a less alarming status by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Before, the species was designated as “endangered”, today it is designated as “threatened”. The beluga also appears on Quebec’s list of threatened species.

Video (This link goes to Radio-Canada Web site)