Since 1988, the governments of Canada and Quebec have been working together to conserve, restore, protect and develop the St. Lawrence River under the St. Lawrence Action Plan (SLAP). One of the projects identified under the theme of biodiversity conservation is the development of an integrated plan for the conservation of the natural environments and biodiversity of the St. Lawrence River.The identification of priority sites for conservation has been the first step of this planning exercise. Conservation planning of natural environments requires a reliable, accurate and up-to-date image of the spatial distribution of ecosystems in the study area. In order to produce an Atlas of Priority Sites for Conservation in the St. Lawrence Lowlands, an updated cartography of the land cover of this vast territory was undertaken.This project required obtaining reliable information on the natural environments of the St. Lawrence Lowlands. Although several land cover mapping projects have been conducted for specific types of habitats, it was particularly important to obtain a homogeneous product that would cover the entire territory and that would provide the most detailed information on its various thematic components: agricultural, aquatic, human-modified and forest environments, wetlands as well as old fields and bare ground. The methodology used to produce the land cover mapping of the St. Lawrence Lowlands thus relied mainly on combining and enhancing the best existing products for each theme. This project was made in collaboration with MDDELCC as part of the St. Lawrence Action Plan (SLAP).

Location and identification of the 6 integrated water management zones of the St. Lawrence in southern Quebec.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Layer that includes the known information on potential haul-out sites for the harbour seal and gray seal in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence according to a literature review of documents produced between 1978 and 2000.Additional InformationPotential haul-out sites for the harbor seal and gray seal were produced according to a literature review of the following documents:Andersen, A. et M. Gagnon. 1980. Les ressources halieutiques de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent. Rapp. can. ind. sci. halieut. aquat., 119: iv + 56 p.Argus Groupe-Conseil inc. 1992. Synthèse et analyse des connaissances relatives aux ressources naturelles du Saguenay et de l'estuaire maritime du Saint-Laurent. Parc marin du Saguenay. Service canadien des parcs, région du Québec.Biorex. 1995. Cartographie des ressources halieutiques et de leurs habitats dans l'estuaire moyen du Saint-Laurent. Rapport au ministère des Pêches et des Océans, Région du Québec, Division de la gestion de l'habitat du poisson. 36 p. + annexes. Biorex. 1996. Base de données géoréférencées sur les ressources halieutiques et leurs habitats : estuaire maritime du Saint-Laurent et fjord du Saguenay. Rapport au ministère des Pêches et des Océans, Région du Québec, Division de la gestion de l'habitat du poisson. Volume 1 : 38 p. + annexes et Volume 2 : 34 p. + annexes.Chevrier, V. 1994. Cartographie des habitats du poisson aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine. Rapport technique no. 1. Réalisé en collaboration avec le M.P.O., Attention Frag'Îles et la M.R.C. des Îles-de-la-Madeleine. 24 p. + 1 ann. + 36 cartes.Comité de la zone d'intervention prioritaire (ZIP) de la Côte-Nord du golfe. 1999. Inventaire des habitats côtiers et marins sensibles de la Basse-Cote-Nord : Rapport final, présenté à Pêches et Océans Canada par le Comité ZIP Côte-Nord du Golfe. 126 p.Comité de protection de la santé et de l'environnement de Gaspé inc. (C.P.S.E.G.). 1996.Communication personnelle par Carol Fournier, MPO. 1999. Communications personnelles par Gosselin, J-F-. 1996. Desaulniers, J. 1989. Étude des populations de pinnipèdes de l'Archipel-de-Mingan et relation entre l'activité de chasse au phoque et la sécurité publique 1987 à 1989. Parcs Canada. Région du Québec. Service de la conservation des ressources naturelles.Enquêtes auprès des pêcheurs. 1995.Lavigne, P.-J. 1978. La chasse estivale du phoque dans le Saint-Laurent. Rapport non publié. 65 p. Pêches et Océans Canada, Région du Québec.Lesage, Véronique. 2000. Communication personnel.Lesage, V., M. O. Hammill, and K.M. Kovacs. 1995. Harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) abundance in the St. Lawrence estuary. Can. Manuscr. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2307: iii + 19 p.Naturam Environnement inc. 1996. Caractérisation physique et biologique de l'habitat du poisson du secteur de Pointe-aux-Outardes. Realisé pour le compte de la Corporation du Parc régional de Pointe-aux-Outardes. 196 p.

Layer that includes the known information on the atlantic sturgeon breeding, feeding and concentration areas in the St. Lawrence River and Estuary according to a literature review of documents produced between 1993 and 2003.Additional InformationAtlantic sturgeon's breeding, feeding and concentration areas were produced according to a literature review of the following documents:Communication personnelle par Hatin. D. 2003.Gagnon, M., Y. Ménard et J.-F. La Rue. 1993. Caractérisation et évaluation des habitats du poisson dans la zone de transition saline du Saint-Laurent. Rapp. tech. can. sci. halieut. aquat. 1920: viii + 104 p.Hatin. D., F. Caron et R. Fortin. 1999. Rapport d'opération : Déplacement et caractérisation du stock reproducteur d'esturgeon noir (Acipenser oxyrinchus) dans l'estuaire du fleuve Saint-Laurent. Faune et Parcs Québec, Direction de la faune et des habitats. 91 p.Hatin, D. et F. Caron. 2002. Déplacement et caractéristiques des esturgeons noirs (Acipencer oxyrinchus) adultes dans l'estuaire du fleuve Saint-Laurent en 1998 et 1999. Société de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec, Direction de la recherche sur la faune. 151 p.Naturam Environnement. 1995. Les possibilités de fraie de l'esturgeon noir dans l'estuaire de la rivière Manicouagan. Rapport présenté au Comité ZIP et à la Corporation d'amélioration et de protection de l'environnement (CAPE). Dossier 95-869. 75 p. Therrien, J. 1998. Rapport sur la situation de l'esturgeon noir (Acipenser oxyrinchus) au Québec. Ministère de l'Environnement et de la Faune, Direction de la faune et des habitats, Service de la faune aquatique. 45 p. Société de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec. 2000. Atlas des habitats critiques connus ou d'intérêt particulier pour les poissons du fleuve Saint-Laurent entre le port de Montréal et l'Île aux Coudres. Direction du développement de la faune.Trencia, G. Communication personnelle.

The Operational Hydrodynamic Prediction System (OHPS) is a 2D hydrodynamic prediction system for the St. Lawrence River and fluvial estuary. It helps to better understand flows impacting the St. Lawrence ecosystem and serves as a decision-making tool for the integrated management of the St-Lawrence. Three components are integrated in OHPS system. The first one "steadysol" conducts daily steady-state flow analyses, 4 times per day at 00Z, 06Z, 12Z and 18Z, respectively, over a simulation domain extending from Montreal to Trois-Rivières. The second and third components, i.e. "analysis" and "forecast", provide continuous analyses and 48-hrs forecasts, respectively, for unsteady flows over an extended St. Lawrence domain of which the upstream boundaries locate in Carillon and Beauharnois while the downstream tidal boundary is near Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive, respectively, 4 times a day at 00Z, 06Z, 12Z and 18Z. The system provides high-resolution outcomes for various parameters such as water levels, depth-averaged velocities and derived attributes, over the simulated domains. The products are available in the NetCDF format, which provides datasets. The published datasets of "steadysol" is over an irregular triangulated mesh, while the datasets of "analysis" and "forecast" are over a Polar Stereographic grid.

Striped Bass critical habitat (St. Lawrence estuary population) defined by the analysis of available knowledge in 2011 and a scientific advice.PurposeThe status of the Striped Bass population of the St. Lawrence Estuary is in constant evolution. It went from indigenous population until the end of 1960 to designated extirpated in Canada under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in 2011.Still in 2011, the status of the population of the St. Lawrence Estuary was reassessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) following the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec re-introduction efforts and was designated endangered (COSEWIC 2012). Under SARA, critical habitat must be designated for all threatened, endangered or extirpated species.Additional InformationThe analysis of available knowledge on habitat quality assessment and its use by the Striped Bass was realized using two research documents: Pelletier et al. (2010) and Robitaille (2010). These documents were then reviewed during a scientific peer review meeting in April 2010. A Recovery Strategy was also established in 2011.Pelletier, A.-M., G. Verrault, G. Bourget and J. Dussureault. 2010. Utilisation de l’habitat par les différents stades de développement de la population réintroduite de bars rayés (Morone saxatilis) de l’estuaire du Saint-Laurent. Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec, Direction de l’Expertise Faune-Forêt-Territoire du Bas-Saint-Laurent. 50 p.Robitaille, J. 2010. Assessment of Habitat Quality and Habitat Use by the Extirped Striped Bass Population (Morone saxatilis) of St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec DFO Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat. Research Document. 2010/052. 22 p.DFO. 2011. Assessment of Habitat Quality and Habitat Use by the Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) Population of the St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec. DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2010/069.DFO. 2011. Robitaille, J., M. Bérubé, A. Gosselin, M. Baril, J. Beauchamp, J. Boucher, S. Dionne, M. Legault, Y. Mailhot, B. Ouellet, P. Sirois, S. Tremblay G. Trencia, G. Verreault and D. Villeneuve. 2011. Recovery Strategy for the Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), St. Lawrence Estuary Population, Canada. Species at Risk Act Recovery Strategy Series. Ottawa : Fisheries and Oceans Canada. xi + 51 p.The available information on habitat used and frequented by the St. Lawrence Estuary striped bass population has been reviewed later than 2011 and can be consulted at:https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/db177a8c-5d7d-49eb-8290-31e6a45d786c

This layer represents the relative summer density of beluga calves in the St. Lawrence Estuary based on 35 aerial surveys carried out from 1990 to 2009. The boundaries of the areas were determined by combining the highest densities until the desired proportion of the population was obtained using kernel density estimation in order to obtain a smooth and continuous density distribution.Within Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the ecosystem approach is considered as a tool for operational planning, project implementation and preparation of advisory reports. In response to this strategic direction, the DFO science division is committed to implement the ecosystem approach in its activities as Ecosystem Research Initiatives (ERI) in each of the six administrative regions of DFO. In the Quebec region, two pilot projects were implemented, of which one aimed to define and characterize the habitat of the St. Lawrence beluga (Delphinapterus leucas).Data sources and references:DFO. 2016. Ecosystem Research Initiative (ERI): Integrated Advice on the Summer Habitat of the St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2016/030. Mosnier, A., R. Larocque, M. Lebeuf, J.-F. Gosselin, S. Dubé, V. Lapointe, V. Lesage, V., H. Bourdages, D. Lefaivre, S. Senneville and C. Chion. 2016. Définition et caractérisation de l'habitat du béluga (Delphinapterus leucas) de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent selon une approche écosystémique. Secr. can. de consult. sci. du MPO. Doc. de rech. 2016/052. vi + 93 p.

This layer represents the relative summer density of belugas in the St. Lawrence Estuary based on 35 aerial surveys carried out from 1990 to 2009. The boundaries of the areas were determined by combining the highest densities until the desired proportion of the population was obtained using kernel density estimation in order to obtain a smooth and continuous density distribution.Within Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the ecosystem approach is considered a tool for operational planning, project implementation and preparation of advisory reports. In response to this strategic direction, the DFO science division is committed to implement the ecosystem approach in its activities as Ecosystem Research Initiatives (ERI) in each of the six administrative regions of DFO. In the Quebec region, two pilot projects were implemented, of which one aimed to define and characterize the habitat of the St. Lawrence beluga (Delphinapterus leucas).Data sources and references:DFO. 2016. Ecosystem Research Initiative (ERI): Integrated Advice on the Summer Habitat of the St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas). DFO Can. Sci. Advis. Sec. Sci. Advis. Rep. 2016/030. Mosnier, A., R. Larocque, M. Lebeuf, J.-F. Gosselin, S. Dubé, V. Lapointe, V. Lesage, V., H. Bourdages, D. Lefaivre, S. Senneville and C. Chion. 2016. Définition et caractérisation de l'habitat du béluga (Delphinapterus leucas) de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent selon une approche écosystémique. Secr. can. de consult. sci. du MPO. Doc. de rech. 2016/052. vi + 93 p.

Layer that includes the known information on coastal presence for lumpfish in the St. Lawrence River and Estuary according to a literature review of documents produced between 1987 and 1999.Additional InformationLumpfish's coastal presence was produced according to a literature review of the following documents:Association Québécoise des Techniciens(nes) en Aménagement Cynégétique et Halieutique (AQTACH). 1987. Suivi des captures de cinq pêches à fascines de la rive nord du Saint-Laurent. Document présenté au ministère du Loisir, de la Chasse et de la Pêche – Direction régionale de la Côte-Nord. 50 p.Bérubé, S. Lambert, J.-D. 1999. Communautés ichtyennes côtières de l'estuaire du Saint-Laurent en 1996 et 1997 : suite du suivi ichtyologique (1986-1995). Rapp. tech. can. sci. halieut. aquat., 2281, 62 p.Naturam Environnement. 1997. Acquisition de connaissances et mise en valeur des habitats du poisson du complexe Baie Verte/Baie Laval, phase 3 : rapport final. Document réalisé par la Corporation de développpement de la Baie Verte avec l'aide du MPO dans le cadre du Plan d'action pour l'habitat du poisson.

This theme represents the limit of the Quebec territory of the Agreement on Sustainable Water Resources of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. It was generated from the grouping of watersheds at a cartographic scale of 1:20,000. For more information: http://www.environnement.gouv.qc.ca/eau/grandslacs/2005/index.htm**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**