Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park

09/02/2026

The Whales Online team recently followed Valérie Busque, Public Outreach Education Officer at the Marine Park. 🐋

The article Protecting Whales, One Conversation at a Time highlights her outreach work with recreational boaters and her efforts to raise awareness about responsible boating practices in whale habitat.

🔗 https://baleinesendirect.org/en/proteger-les-baleines-une-discussion-a-la-fois/

08/28/2026

5 species to look out for on a northern snorkeling adventure! 🦀🤿

Who wants to come experience it for themselves? 🙋‍♀️

To book your outing: https://quebecsubaquatique.ca/en/les-escoumins-dive-center/les-escoumins-dive-center-reservation/

📷 Base de plongée Les Escoumins and Patrick R. Bourgeois

08/25/2026

Discover Charlevoix’s coastal side! 🌊

Looking to discover the Marine Park from a different perspective? Several places invite you to explore its landscapes, history and marine life!

🗺️ Discover the places to visit: https://parcmarin.qc.ca/visiter-visit/en/

📷 Lou Lamarre

08/20/2026

The minke whale is the most abundant rorqual species in the Marine Park. Yet there is still much to learn about this species.🐋

Like other whales in the St. Lawrence, minke whales are affected by changes occurring in their habitat. Because of their abundance, they could also become a valuable indicator of the health of the St. Lawrence Estuary ecosystem.

For more than 25 years, the Mériscope research team has been photographing minke whales to identify individual animals using the distinctive markings on their bodies, particularly those on their dorsal fins 📸. These unique characteristics make it possible to track the whales movements, their fidelity to specific areas, and changes in the population over time. These data complement an extensive historical database compiled in the Marine Park between 2001 and 2009 by ORES (the Oceanic Research and Education Society).

This summer, in collaboration with Parks Canada, Mériscope is continuing this work by collecting new photo-identification data in the maritime estuary. At the same time, researchers are harmonizing data-processing methods and combining historical catalogues to develop a joint protocol for estimating minke whale abundance within the Marine Park.

08/18/2026

How many species can you spot in this photo? 😍

📷Patrick R. Bourgeois

08/14/2026

Blue whales have been spotted frequently in the Marine Park in recent days. 🐋

⚠️ You are navigating in the Estuary and spot a blue whale? As exciting as the encounter may be, keep your distance. This endangered species needs space to feed, rest, and carry out its activities without disturbance. Move away to maintain a minimum distance of 400 m at all time.

After all, having the chance to observe the largest animal on Earth, even from afar, remains extraordinary. 💙

📷Jocelyn Praud

08/10/2026

🌸 They look like flowers, but they're actually animals!

Attached to rocks, sea anemones are among the iconic species found on the seafloor of the St. Lawrence and the Saguenay Fjord. Despite their delicate appearance, they are formidable predators! Their many tentacles are equipped with stinging cells that allow them to capture small prey such as zooplankton, tiny crustaceans, worms and sometimes even small fish.

Several species of sea anemones, with a wide variety of shapes and colours, can be observed in the Marine Park. White, orange, red, pink or mottled, they add vibrant colour to underwater landscapes while providing shelter for small marine organisms. 💙

📷 Louis Falardeau et Jean-Guy Béliveau

08/06/2026

With its colourful seafloor and great diversity of marine species, the Marine Park is a must-see destination to discover the wonders of the St. Lawrence! 🪼

Here are three must-see stops to explore the underwater world:
🤿 Marine Environment Discovery Centre
📍 Les Escoumins
➡️ Nordic snorkeling, Deep-Sea Reveries immersive experience, scuba diving, exhibits and interpretation activities
https://parks.canada.ca/amnc-nmca/qc/saguenay/visit/cdmm

🐟 Musée du Fjord
📍 La Baie
➡️ Plancton Odyssée multimedia exhibition, Fjord aquarium and interpretation activities
https://www.museedufjord.com/en

🪸 Centre écologique de Port-au-Saumon
📍 La Malbaie (Saint-Fidèle)
➡️ Interpretation trail and marine organism pools
https://cepas.qc.ca/

08/04/2026

The Marine Park teams will be attending several events over the coming weeks. 🎉
Which one will you come and see us? 😎

Course St-Laurent 400
📆 Information booth on August 5 and race start on August 6
📍Tadoussac Marina
https://stlaurent400.com/

Coastal Habitat Conservation Awareness Booths – Comité ZIP Saguenay–Charlevoix
📆 August 7–8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
📍L'Anse-Saint-Jean Beach (August 7) and Saint-Étienne Beach in Petit-Saguenay (August 8)

Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation Pow Wow
📆 August 15–16
📍Pointe de Cacouna site
https://wolastoqiyikwahsipekuk.ca/calendrier/

Expédition Saint-Laurent – Shoreline Cleanup in Tadoussac
📆 August 19
📍Tadoussac Dunes
https://www.facebook.com/share/196mfCquFr/

Les Haltes gourmandes du Fjord (local food event)
📆 August 23
📍L'Anse-Saint-Jean (Municipal Wharf)

L'Escale Festival
📆 September 3–6
📍Trois-Pistoles Maritime Terminal
https://www.escalemaritime.ca/

Beluga Ultra Trail
📆 September 19
📍Municipality of Tadoussac
https://beluga.trailssaglac.org/accueil

07/30/2026

Listening to belugas in Sainte-Marguerite Bay! 🎧

Sainte-Marguerite Bay is one of the most important areas in the Marine Park for female belugas and their calves. For many years, research teams have been studying their behaviour there to better understand their needs and help protect them.

This summer, the Window On Beluga project is taking another step forward with the installation of a hydrophone off the Halte du Beluga at the parc national du Fjord-du-Saguenay. This new addition will allow researchers to combine underwater sounds recorded in the bay with field observations and drone imagery.

🔗 Discover the story behind this installation in this Whales Online article :

After several months of preparations, the Window on Belugas project has just reached a new milestone in Baie-Sainte-Marguerite thanks to the addition of