ST. LAWRENCE INFO

Sportfishing in the St. Lawrence River

Quebec is Home to One-Third of Canada’s Active Sportfishers

In 2000, Quebec was home to more than 800 000 active sportfishers, 11% of its total population. According to the 2000 Survey of Recreational Fishing in Canada, 78 125 fishers went freshwater fishing in the St. Lawrence River, from the Quebec–Ontario border to the western end of Île d'Orléans, for 935 000 fishing days. In salt water, from the eastern end of Île d’Orléans to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 54 530 Quebecers went fishing that year, for a total of more than 202 000 fishing days.

The Northern Pike (including the Muskellunge), Yellow Perch, Walleye and bass are the main species caught in the St. Lawrence River. The main access points to the river for sport fishing are indicated on the following map.

Literature

Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 2004. Quebec Marine Fisheries – Annual Statistics Review 2001-2002. Statistics Service, Fisheries Management Branch, Department of Fisheries and Oceans – Quebec Region.

Fondation de la faune du Québec et Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec. 2002. La Pêche autour de Québec : 119 points d'accès pour pratiquer la pêche.

Fondation de la faune du Québec et Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec. 2000. La Pêche autour de Montréal : 218 points d'accès pour pratiquer la pêche.

Related Links

2000 Survey of Recreational Fishing in Canada

Ministère des ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec – Sport Fishing in Quebec

Ice Fishing In the past, ice fishing was a subsistence activity practised by Aboriginal peoples, the first inhabitants of the continent. Today, it is more commonly a recreational activity. The ice fishing season generally lasts from December to March, when the ice cover is thick enough. Lakes Saint-Pierre and Deux Montagnes are popular (Walleye, Yellow Perch and pike), as is the Saguenay Fjord, for redfish, cod and Turbot, in addition to the abovementioned species. Related Links Tourisme Québec – Ice Fishing La Semaine verte – Mise à jour : la pêche blanche (in French only)

Is it Safe to Eat Fish from the St. Lawrence River?

Studies show that the contamination level of fish from the St. Lawrence River has declined considerably since the 1970s, although certain chemical contaminants are still detected. Among them, only mercury turns up in concentrations exceeding consumption standards.

Nevertheless, the current level of contamination by toxic substances is low enough that the public can resume traditional uses of the river, such as fishing and eating their catch. Fish caught in the St. Lawrence River can be consumed without danger, provided the recommendations of the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs du Québec and the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec are respected.

Literature

Painchaud, J. and D. Laliberté. 2003. Toxic Contamination in Freshwater Fish. Fact sheet in the series "Monitoring the State of the St. Lawrence River." Environment Canada – Quebec Region, Environmental Conservation, St. Lawrence Centre.

Related Links

Envirozine – Lead Fishing Gear Faces Prohibition

Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs du Québec – Guide de consommation du poisson de pêche sportive en eau douce (Consumption guide for freshwater fishing) (in French only)

St. Lawrence Vision 2000 – Enquête sur la consommation d’oiseaux migrateurs et de poissons de pêche sportive auprès de la population de chasseurs de sauvagine du Saint-Laurent et Analyse des risques à la santé (English abstract)

St. Lawrence Vision 2000 – Exploration of the Health Impacts of Fishing in the St. Lawrence among the Urban Poor (Montreal)

St. Lawrence Vision 2000 – Health and the St. Lawrence: Status Report II