Concrete action to protect marine flora and fauna

Team of divers

To the rescue of Québec’s waterways

Over the past few years, we've been stepping up our diving expeditions with our team of experienced divers to carry out a variety of clean-up operations to revitalize the province's waterways. Such actions also help to raise public awareness of the impact of individual actions on the aquatic environment.

Here are the projects on which we have offered our collaboration and the next projects in which we will participate:

• Lac Beauport clean-up (article in French only), in collaboration with the Municipalité de Lac-Beauport (June 2023)
• Clean-up operations to eradicate the zebra mussel from Lac Massawipi (article in French only), in collaboration with Bleu Massawipi and Mission Milton (2022-2023)
• Lac Saint-Joseph clean-up crews (article in French only), in collaboration with the Ville de Lac-Saint-Joseph (2017 to 2021)

Protecting biodiversity

Promising research projects

Our specialists are also involved in a number of research projects that help optimize conservation efforts to ensure the well-being of animals, both in zoos and in their natural habitat. The data obtained help us to better understand the impact that certain activities have on animals, and how we can help them. Research is essential to the preservation of biodiversity.

Here are the projects on which we have offered our collaboration and the upcoming projects on which we are working:

A "full-throttle turtle" project to halt the decline of snapping turtle populations (summer 2024)

Aquarium du Québec is taking part in a promising conservation project in collaboration with Parc national d'Oka, another Sépaq establishment. A hundred snapping turtle eggs were brought to the Aquarium, thanks to the good care of Parc national d'Oka employees, who delicately collected them and took them by car to the Québec institution! This is a project to help hatch these eggs. Road collisions and predators like raccoons sometimes give juveniles no chance of survival. Egg incubation is currently carried out in Aquarium du Québec's laboratories, under the watchful eye of aquarists. It takes between 60 and 90 days for the eggs to hatch. Once hatched, they will be returned to the site where they were collected in Oka.

Study of the impact of scuba-diving activities on the Île Bonaventure seabed (2023 to 2029)

Assessment of the seabed around Île Bonaventure to quantify the impact of diving on this environment. Recommendations to ensure the sustainability of this dive site. The project is being carried out in collaboration with Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé.

Yellow perch research project in Parc national de la Yamaska (May 2023)

Participation in an underwater search for yellow perch eggs in Reservoir Choinière (article in French only) to assess the health of this species' population. The project was carried out in collaboration with Parc national de la Yamaska.

Educational videos on the biodiversity of different dive sites in Québec (2023)

Creation of five educational vignettes about Québec’s marine biodiversity and good diving practices. In collaboration with Québec Subaquatique.

Partnership with Mission 1000 Tonnes for various clean-up operations in Québec waterways

Our divers take part in various clean-up operations every year.

Sunflower starfish reproduction (2020 to present)

Reproduction of sunflower starfish to consolidate the declining population. This project will enable us to develop our expertise in reproducing our echinoderms (sea urchins, sea cucumbers, starfish) and thus avoid harvesting them from the wild. This project is being carried out in collaboration with Ashley Kid.

Collaboration with Société Apollo de Godbout (2020)

Survey of the seabed at a site chosen for the scuttling of a ship to create an artificial reef and help increase the biodiversity and quantity of marine fauna in the region.

A huge thanks to our partners!

We would like to thank our valued partners:

• Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec
• Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs
• Mission 1000 Tonnes
• Bleu Massawipi
• Québec Subaquatique
• Parc national d'Oka
• Parc national de l'Île-Bonaventure-et-du-Rocher-Percé
• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal
• Ashley Kid (echinoderms)
• Parc national du Mont-Tremblant
• Parc national de la Yamaska
• Municipalité du Lac-Beauport