Québec National Parks, one of the three magnificent Sépaq Networks

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	Conservation Mission

Mission Statement

Representative of the natural region known as the Saguenay Fjord and made exceptional by the presence of the fjord, the Parc national du Saguenay was created to protect and highlight the lands of this rich natural patrimony.

Natural Environment

Parc national du Saguenay is a conservation park that was established to protect and promote a representative and unique section of the Saguenay Fjord natural region.

The defining feature of the park is, without question, the deep, glacial valley known as the Saguenay Fjord. The fjord's sheer cliffs are ideal nesting sites for peregrine falcons, and the park's combination of woodland and marine habitats makes for a surprising degree of biological diversity.

Park forests are home to wolves, black bears, lynx, beaver, and moose, whereas herds of harbour seals and pods of beluga whales can be seen from shore in the waters of the fjord. In addition, fish species such as migratory speckled trout and Atlantic salmon frequent both the fresh and salt water ecosystems of the park at different phases of their life cycles.

The merging of the Saguenay and St. Lawrence rivers creates a zone of lapping waters where whales, seals and seabirds can feed at a kind of enormous buffet. A little farther along the estuary, the landscape opens up to wide marine terraces, relics of the last melting glaciers and the rising up of the continent. An important stopover for migrating birds, this site also harbours rare and delicate plant life.

Let's Break the Ice!

Over the past 20 years, ice fishing has become extremely popular with people who live in the Saguenay region. With 1,500 fishing huts and almost 60,000 fisher days (the number of fishers multiplied by the number of fishing days), fishing is currently very intensive.

What is the impact of so much fishing on the fjord's fish populations? How can you help protect these fish and this exceptional environment? What can you do to make your activity safer?

To find out more, get a copy of the "Carnet du pêcheur et guide de bonnes pratiques" from the Parc marin du Saguenay-Saint-Laurent and glide it into your pocket, before gliding onto the ice!

Ice Fishing ... A Real Privilege!

In the early years of ice fishing, there was talk of nearly "miraculous" fishing on the Saguenay: mountains of redfish , pails full of smelt, masses of brill ... there are countless stories! Did you know that recreational fishing of bottom fish is closed throughout the entire Atlantic in the winter, except on the Saguenay? So fishing here is a real privilege! It is up to us to fish in a way that will keep it sustainable!

Are Saguenay Fish Populations Regenerating?

Although it is grandiose, the fjord is not very biologically productive. Its layer of surface water produces very little plankton, at the bottom of the marine food chain. Sea water from the Saint Lawrence brings in plankton that feeds organisms in the fjord, and life in the Saguenay is very dependent on the occasional importation of nutrients from the estuary.

The most-studied species is smelt, a fish that plays an essential role in the fjord's ecosystem, since several species feed on it. We know that Saguenay smelt is not the same as Saint Lawrence smelt, which reveals that it spends its entire life in the fjord. Since spawning grounds were identified in the Saguenay and fishers have caught small smelt, we also know that smelt populations regenerate.

It is a different story for marine species like redfish, cod or halibut. Because of the unique conditions in this body of water, it is not known if these species reproduce successfully in the fjord.

There may be certain environmental factors that hinder the renewal of bottom fish populations, such as the surface layer of fresh water, strong currents and limited exchanges between Saguenay and Saint Lawrence fish. What's more, contrary to popular opinion, marine species in general do not necessarily reproduce successfully each year. In the Saguenay, redfish in the same age group (or cohort) are caught year after year, and a renewal of the population has not yet been observed. This situation is worrisome because it may endanger the viability of populations facing intensive sports fishing.