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The Parks / Québec / Saguenay-St. Lawrence National Park

In the 1800's and 1900's, forestry took economic primacy over trapping and whaling. Logging and the transport of logs would in their turn destroy much of the pristine marine environment. By 1840, steam-powered tug boats were being used to tow timber rafts to the sawmills. By 1862 there were 58 sawmills operating, several rivers had been dredged, dams built, canals dug, and log booms and wharves constructed. By the end of the 19th century the large pine forests as well as much of the birch and cedar along the Saguenay were gone. The history of human activity in the park area leaves little question of the significance of present-day efforts to preserve and protect the marine ecosystem.

Many birds such as cormorants, herring gulls, razorbills, guillemots, blue herons and common eiders nest on the islands and reefs. The coastal zone is a wintering ground for species such as the American Black Duck, the Goldeneye and the Oldsquaw. Shore birds mainly frequent the tide flats feeding on the worms and molluscs buried in the mud. Plankton-eating birds, however, can be seen feeding on the waterÆs surface. Diving birds enter the water to catch fish, although some, like the sea duck, actually seek their prey on the seabed itself. The parkÆs environment is in many ways ideal for the life cycles of the many species of aquatic birds.