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First State of the Environment Report on the St. Lawrence River
On June 6, 1996, federal Environment Minister Sergio Marchi released an important three-volume document entitled State of the Environment Report on the St. Lawrence River. Based on a compilation of thousands of scientific data, it provided a diagnosis of the 14 most representative characteristics of the health of the river and, above all, a foundation for guiding future actions.
Produced for St. Lawrence Vision 2000 by the St. Lawrence Centre, this first large-scale summary report on our knowledge concerning the condition of the river since the 1970s allowed a degree of optimism concerning its future. It indicated general improvement in water quality, industrial and urban wastewater discharges, sediments and protection of species and natural environments.
While certain other aspects considered in the study had not improved, they at least remained stable, e.g., the water quality of tributaries, risks associated with marine transportation and contamination of species subject to sport fishing or hunting. However, the report did indicate a major decline in commercial fishing, making it clear that certain fish populations had collapsed.
Last, the report was unable to provide a specific assessment of a number of aspects, such as diversity, contamination of biological resources and changes in banks. These points will be considered more thoroughly during later phases of the St. Lawrence Plan, for example under the State of the St. Lawrence Monitoring Program implemented in 2003.
Date modified: 2008/07/22 – Important Notices
