State of the environment report on the North Shore-Anticosti Island region submitted

Sept-Îles, October 23, 1997 – The government partners involved in the St. Lawrence Vision 2000 action plan today submitted the state of the environment report on the North Shore-Anticosti Island region. The report presents a synthesis of knowledge on this part of the St. Lawrence ecosystem. Serge Langelier, chairman of the Gulf North Shore ZIP Committee, accepted the document on behalf of the different environmental stakeholders and citizens involved in conservation efforts directed at the St. Lawrence.

The environmental report on the study area draws on four technical reports describing characteristics of this part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in particular, sources of contamination, biological resources, use patterns and development options, as well as the human health risks associated with activities centring on the St. Lawrence.

The North Shore-Anticosti Island sector encompasses the shoreline areas of the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence between Pointe des Monts to the west and Blanc Sablon to the east, and the shoreline of Anticosti Island. The region contains 19 municipalities and 5 Indian reserves, and covers an area of 25,200 km2, which had a population of nearly 48,500 in 1991.

All the technical reports were prepared using data from various sources, including the different federal and provincial departments that are partners in St. Lawrence Vision 2000. The departments involved are Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Health Canada, the Quebec Department of the Environment and Wildlife and the Quebec Department of Health and Social Services.

The environmental report constitutes a decision support tool, which will assist in identifying joint priorities for conservation and restoration in the sector. It is intended for residents, municipalities, industries and regional non-governmental organizations that are keen to take a

On November 7 and 8, 1997, the Gulf North Shore ZIP Committee will conduct public consultations in order to reach agreement on the priorities and measures to be adopted as part of an environmental remedial action plan for the area.

Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the environmental report on the North Shore-Anticosti Island region or attending the public consultations should contact Lina Roy, coordinator of the ZIP Committee, at (418) 962-5661.

Information:

Paul Milot
Environment Canada
(418) 649-8070

Raymonde Goupil
Quebec Department of the Environment and Wildlife
(418) 521-3823, ext. 4912

Information Sheet:

Salient points of the regional assessment of the Côte-Nord-Anticosti area

Biodiversity

The North Shore-Anticosti Island sector contains a mosaic of richly diverse wildlife habitats.

• There are about 100 different species of benthic algae, 800 species of vascular plants, some 1,000 species of invertebrates;
• Roughly 100 fish species;
• More than 300 bird species;
• And about 15 marine mammal species ;
• The region features 1, 300 ha of intertidal marshes ;
• And 68 salmon rivers ;
• There are 550 bird colonies comprising 18 seabird species and two heron species inhabit the region and are represented by 140,000 breeding pairs ;
• The Caspian term colony on Fog Island is the only colony of this species in Quebec.
• In the study area, there are 29 rare plant species, 4 fish species, 10 bird species, 4 marine mammal species and 1 terrestrial mammal species that are targeted for protection on a priority basis under St. Lawrence Vision 2000 ;
• Anticosti Island is Quebec’s most important nesting site for the American Bald Eagle ;
• The main wintering areas for the Common Eider are located in the Mingan Archipelago and around Anticosti Island.

See Environmental Report, Chapter 3, pages 12-26

Human occupation and land use

• The sector encompasses 5,000 km of shoreline, with islands making up about 3,000 km of this total;
• The study area covers 25 200 km2;
• There are 19 municipalities and 5 Indian reserves in the sector;
• In 1991, 48,500 people lived in the area. More than 74% of the population is concentrated in Sept Iles (24,848 residents) and Port Cartier (7,383 residents);
• One national park reserve, Mingan Archipelago; one provincial conservation park, on Anticosti Island and one regional park at Sept Îles;
• Three ecological reserves: Matamec, Pointe Heath and Grand Lac-Salé;
• Eight migratory bird sanctuaries;
• Fifty-seven wildlife habitats;
• Fifty-six salmon rivers open for sport fishing ;
• One commercial operation for salmon.

See Environmental Report, Chapter 3, page 28-30

Main environmental problems

• On the whole, the level of contamination of water and sediments by toxic chemicals is fairly low.
• The Sept Îles fishing harbour was at the 1980 years heavily polluted by mercury and, to a lesser extent, by copper and lead.
• At the same period, The Aguanish and St Augustin fishing harbours were polluted by cadmium ;
• More than 650 ha of riparian and aquatic habitat were lost during the period 1945 to 1988;

Municipal and domestic wastewater

• Municipal wastewater outfalls, septic tanks and sump pits that empty into the aquatic environment are a major source of organic and bacterial contamination of shoreline areas;
• The percentage of the total population that is served by wastewater treatment plants will increase to 60 % with the start-up of the Port Cartier and Sept Îles facilities, slated to occur by late 1998.

Overharvesting of fishery resources

• The northern cod population is in very poor condition and has been under a moratorium on fishing since 1994;
• Major resources in the area, such as northern shrimp and snow crab, are vulnerable to unfavourable oceanographic conditions at present because of the strong harvesting pressure.

See Chapter 4, page 40 - 58

Effects of contamination on human health

• The human health risks associated with chemical contamination of algae, molluscs, crustaceans and fish are negligible;
• Waterfowl meat is safe for human consumption;
• Consumption of seabird eggs and seal liver and meat of adult seals is not recommanded ;
• Molluscs harvested from shoreline areas may be quite dangerous to eat as a result of bacterial contamination and marine toxins in their tissues;
• Consumption of the lobster hepatopancreas (green liver) should be limited because the tissues may contain marine toxins.

See Environmental Report, Chapter 5, page 59 - 66

Environmental targets

• pollution abatement ;
• protection of sensitive habitats and vulnerable species ;
• restoration of habitats and degraded ressources ;
• effective management of marine fisheries ;
• ensuring that recreation and tourism development is consistent with the goal of protecting natural habitats.

See Chapter 6, page 67-73