Bibliography of the Maurice Lamontagne Institute

Sophie COMTOIS

GIGUÈRE, N., L. PERREAULT, P. NELLIS, C. SAVENKOFF, F.BILODEAU, M. GIANGIOPPI, G.H. TREMBLAY, R. DUFOUR, S. COMTOIS, F. GRÉGOIRE, 2011. Pathways of effects (PoE) model development for capelin conservation as part of a risk analysis process. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 2934, 78 p .

Click to see all the text

The purpose of the first phase of this pilot project was to create Pathways of Effects (PoE) models for capelin conservation in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence as part of a risk analysis process. When conducting this type of analysis, the PoE is created during the identification and problem formulation phase, the goal being to identify the potential relationships that exist between human activities, the stressors generated, and their impacts on a component of the ecosystem, and consequently on the communities that depend on this component. This project is related to the current national work on risk analysis and applies the theoretical notions established in the earlier work in the context of a real situation. In this context, capelin conservation in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence was identified for this project, since capelin is a key species in the marine food chain. During this phase, six PoE models were developed, each illustrating one view of capelin conservation that is either general or specific. Together, these models serve illustrate the relationships that exist between the ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural components as well as such key ecological parameters as the quantity and quality of capelin spawning / larval retention habitat and capelin abundance. The development and application of PoE models using a real situation have confirmed their usefulness as tools for integrating knowledge and for communication; PoEs also play a role in providing support for decision-making and guidance for subsequent steps in the risk analysis process.

GIGUÈRE, N., L. PERREAULT, P. NELLIS, C. SAVENKOFF, F. BILODEAU, M. GIANGIOPPI, G.H. TREMBLAY, R. DUFOUR, S. COMTOIS, F. GRÉGOIRE, 2011. Réalisation de modèles de séquence des effets (SdE) appliqués à la conservation du capelan dans le cadre d'une approche d'analyse de risque. Rapp. tech. can. sci. halieut. aquat., 2934, 83 p .

Click to see all the text

The purpose of the first phase of this pilot project was to create Pathways of Effects (PoE) models for capelin conservation in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence as part of a risk analysis process. When conducting this type of analysis, the PoE is created during the identification and problem formulation phase, the goal being to identify the potential relationships that exist between human activities, the stressors generated, and their impacts on a component of the ecosystem, and consequently on the communities that depend on this component. This project is related to the current national work on risk analysis and applies the theoretical notions established in the earlier work in the context of a real situation. In this context, capelin conservation in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence was identified for this project, since capelin is a key species in the marine food chain. During this phase, six PoE models were developed, each illustrating one view of capelin conservation that is either general or specific. Together, these models serve illustrate the relationships that exist between the ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural components as well as such key ecological parameters as the quantity and quality of capelin spawning / larval retention habitat and capelin abundance. The development and application of PoE models using a real situation have confirmed their usefulness as tools for integrating knowledge and for communication; PoEs also play a role in providing support for decision-making and guidance for subsequent steps in the risk analysis process.

COMTOIS, S., C. SAVENKOFF, M.-N. BOURASSA, J.-C. BRÊTHES, R. SEARS, 2010. Regional distribution and abundance of Blue and Humpback Whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 2877, 46 p .

Click to see all the text

Blue whale sightings have been monitored in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) by the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) since 1979. More than 400 individuals with a heterogeneous GSL distribution have been identified to date. This report aims to qualitatively describe the distribution, dispersal, and relative abundance of blue whales on temporal and spatial scales. Information gathered on humpback whales is also described. Results confirm the general nomadic behaviour of blue whales and suggest that the GSL represents only a portion of the broad summer feeding range. Results also indicate that individual behaviours on site fidelity vary considerably: occasional vs. regular visitors and cosmopolitan vs. exclusive animals. In addition, we were able to distinguish between several areas of significant blue whale sightings based on temporal trends in the site’s frequentation. While the lower Estuary seems to be the area where blue whales are most often sighted, the Mingan region has seen its blue whale frequentation decrease to such an extent that observations are now rare. Conversely, an increasing number of humpback whales have been observed in the Mingan region each year. Because many questions on their general ecology remain unanswered, the aim of this study was to increase our knowledge on the habitat use and behaviour of these rorquals. Furthermore, since marine mammals have been proposed as ecosystem sentinels, long-term monitoring can detect spatial or temporal trends that could reflect changing processes in the environment