The Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park was established in 1998.
Also included in the park’s designation process were the residents of the 24 neighbouring towns and villages, 10 of these municipalities are within the park’s 1,138 square kilometre boundary.
Also found within the Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park’s boundaries are the Saguenay fjord, the northern portion of the St. Lawrence estuary and sea bottom, as well as the Parc du Saguenay.
What makes the Saguenay area so unique is that the tidewaters bring in cold salty gulf water to the fresh water of the Saguenay, where they mix at the rivers’ union.
The average tidal range can reach five metres.
More than 15 varieties of marine mammals have been reported to live year-round within the park, including the Beluga whale, which is in danger of becoming extinct.
Belugas can be found in the upper estuary region of the park and as far up the fjord as Saint Fulgence during the summer and fall. During the winter months, the Beluga whales move downstream to the lower estuary and St. Lawrence gulf.
Also in danger of becoming extinct are the Harbour porpoises, which live in the Saguenay marine park.
The park protects the minke, fin and blue whales, along with staging areas for the harbour, harp and grey seals. Also seen, but less frequently within the park, are the humpback and sperm whales, along with the white dolphin.
The area surrounding the Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park is of great historical importance when it comes to Aboriginal inhabitants. It was here that the Europeans and Amerindians first came into contact with each other in the 16th century. It was then the European trappers, whalers, fur traders and fisherman began to exploit the area’s natural land resources and aquatic life.
The European onslaught caused some Aboriginal groups, including the Montagnais, Algonquin, Cree and Micmac, to converge on the area to trade their furs. A cultural crossroads was created at Tadoussac, which became North America’s largest fur trading centre.
Beginning in the 1800s, logging took over from fur trading in terms of big business, which was followed by paper and pulp plants, dams, power plants and large-scale mining operations.
Due to this economic boom, there has been an increase in population surrounding the marine park. The city of Saguenay, for example lies on the Saguenay River and has a population of about 150,000 people.
Because of the area’s natural richness, there are many hotel Saguenay and things to do, including bird or whale watching, kayaking, hiking, biking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing and ice fishing.
Despite the efforts of the governments of Canada and Quebec to preserve and protect near extinct mammals, as well as other living creatures, industries lining the St. Lawrence River, Saguenay, Great Lakes and all their tributaries have dumped tons of toxins into the waterways, which has resulted in some of the worst pollution in North America.