Welcome to our first official bilingual article on beluga whales in Quebec! A new pipeline project connecting Alberta and Quebec recently proposed in Canada could threaten a local beluga population’s survival. Below this English version, you will find a translated text for our french-speaking readers.
Bienvenue à notre tout premier article bilingue sur les bélugas du Québec! Un nouveau projet de pipeline reliant l’Alberta et le Québec récemment proposé au Canada pourrait menacer la survie d’une population locale de bélugas. À la suite de cet article se trouve une version traduite adressée à tous nos lecteurs francophones.
What is the GNL Quebec / Énergie Saguenay project?
A new pipeline project connecting Alberta and Quebec was recently proposed in Canada. Natural gas obtained by hydraulic fracturing will be transported from the West to the East coast of the country. This pipeline would then connect Ontario and the Saguenay region, where both the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal and liquefaction plant would be built. The Énergie Saguenay project then plans to export this gas to Asia and Europe. As a result, massive LNG tankers would navigate across the Saguenay Fjord and the St. Lawrence River every day. Experts believe that marine traffic could increase by 10%. Both the fjord and the river are incredibly diverse marine areas inhabited by several marine mammal species. In particular, the St. Lawrence beluga whale population is already threatened and could suffer from this project. The final environmental report will be handed to the minister in charge of approving the Énergie Saguenay project as soon as March 10, 2021.
The major companies who are founding investors believe that Énergie Saguenay could be the most sustainable and lowest greenhouse gas emission LNG facility. However, many scientists, activists, and organizations have criticized this project, claiming it would be an environmental disaster. Indeed, there are many controversial claims and ecological aspects to be considered in this debate. Throughout this post, we will explore the LNG megaproject’s possible impacts on the endangered St. Lawrence Estuary beluga whale population. These animals are essential both to Canada and the province of Quebec as they are critical to the local tourism industry. They are also the sentinels of the health of marine environments, making them important to environmental research.
The St. Lawrence Estuary beluga population: a dire situation.
The St. Lawrence Estuary beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) are endemic to Canada. Indeed, they are at the southernmost limit of this species’s normal geographical range, leaving them isolated from other populations. Furthermore, these whales inhabit a vast range of habitats in the St. Lawrence River during the summer. You can scroll right on the photo below to view their geographical distribution.
From the 1800s until 1970, whaling activities severely decimated this population of whales. Since the complete ban on whaling in the 80s, scientists have been studying and monitoring belugas in the St Lawrence estuary. What they found is disturbing: in 2012, only 900 estimated individuals remained, and the beluga population kept declining (-1% every year). Additionally, an alarming number of pregnant females and calves were found dead in the previous years. These events triggered a nation-wide concern for these marine mammals. As a result, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC 2014) decided to change the status of the St. Lawrence Estuary belugas to “endangered“.
Experts identified many threats of great concern to the St. Lawrence Estuary beluga population’s survival. The Saguenay Fjord and the St. Lawrence Estuary where they live are both highly industrialized environments. As a result, chemical pollution, a decline in prey availability, noise, marine traffic, and habitat degradation are particularly problematic to the population’s good health.
A toxic environment
Not so long ago, an aluminum smelter in the Saguenay region emitted high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These contaminants are created whenever chemicals are burned and have been linked to intestinal cancers in the St Lawrence beluga whales. As a result, these whales have the highest cancer rates reported for any other cetacean population in the world. Although experts have seen a decline in these types of cancers, other alarming pathologies are appearing today. Pollution puts these animals under a lot of stress and threatens their long-term survival.
Could Énergie Saguenay mean the end of this beluga population?
A species that needs our protection
Belugas are among the most vocal whales globally and they rely on sound to hunt and travel. Regrettably, the stress caused by noise from marine traffic prevents them from feeding, and could even compromise their immune and reproductive systems. Considering that LNG tankers are almost a hundred times louder than any small vessel, this important aspect of the megaproject should not be underestimated.
Other important issues generated by this project are to be studied attentively by government officials and decision-makers. For instance, the loss of habitat quality in the Saguenay Fjord and the St Lawrence Estuary is threatening the population’s recovery. Additionally, if toxic spills were to originate from an LNG tanker, they could cause asphyxiation or explosion hazards in these waters. Finally, experts predict that this project alone could emit up to 50 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Climate change is known to cause an increase in water temperature and sea ice melting. In turn, this affects the prey abundance and the time of spawning for key fish species that these whales desperately need.
A vast majority of scientists and researchers have spoken out against Énergie Saguenay. They believe it would be a catastrophe for the environment and the biodiversity of the St. Lawrence Estuary. Once again, the government faces a difficult choice between the outdated fossil fuel economy and the survival of a species…
You and I can help the belugas, together!
In Quebec, the BAPE (Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement) is an impartial government body reporting to the Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change. Their main goals are to consult citizens, investigate, and facilitate government decision-making. Because of the extraordinary citizen participation in this process, the final BAPE report was postponed until March 10, 2021.
If you also believe this LNG project to be a serious threat to the livelihood of beluga whales in the St. Lawrence estuary, we invite you to sign this petition before a final decision is made. You can also contact Mr. Benoit Charette, Quebec’s Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, to insist on this decision’s urgency. You can find all the contact information here.