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River voices
The vast majority of the people who live along the St. Lawrence drink tap water, even when it comes from the river, and more than half enjoy at least one activity connected with the St. Lawrence. These are some of the findings of Reflections on the St. Lawrence – River Voices, an extensive survey conducted in 1995 by St. Lawrence Vision 2000 (St. Lawrence Plan).
This survey of how people use and perceive the St. Lawrence was the first of its kind. Never before had such an extensive study been carried out to document the riverside population’s relationship with the river. In all, 18,000 people in various parts of Quebec were asked questions about drinking water, recreational activities, sportfishing and fish consumption.
The survey results revealed that 2.2 million people (72% of the riverside population) drank tap water, but that one in seven people first filtered or purified that water using a household appliance.
In addition, the majority of the people living by the river (56%) reported that they enjoyed one or two activities along or on the river. Many respondents, especially in Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands and on the north shore, mentioned three or four activities. The most popular activity by far was walking along the river, which nearly two million people (54% of the riverside population) had done.
Among other activities, 20% of the people living along the river went boating in yachts, motorboats, cruise boats, canoes or kayaks. Nearly 200,000 people (6% of the riverside population) swam in the river, especially in Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands and on the north shore. One quarter of the swimmers went waterskiing, windsurfing or scuba diving.
Lastly, 260,000 people living along the river enjoyed sportfishing in the St. Lawrence at the time of the survey. The main species caught were perch, pike, muskellunge, walleye and bass. About 130,000 people ate fish from the river, and one in ten did so more than 20 times a year.
Date modified: 2008/07/22 – Important Notices
