Réserve faunique des Laurentides

Land-Use and Integrated Management

General presentation

Natural resource management on the territory of Réserve faunique des Laurentides is a responsibility of the government, more specifically of the Ministère de la Forêt, de la Faune et des Parcs (ministry of forests, wildlife, and parks, or MFFP) and the Ministère de l’Énergie et des ressources naturelles (ministry of energy and natural resources, or MERN). Given the specific nature of wildlife reserves, they were given a “multiple modulated" vocation under the government’s Plans d’affectation du territoire public régionaux (regional public land use plans, or RPLUP), a vocation defined as the “multipurpose use of land and resources, with procedures or rules adapted to specific environmental, landscape, cultural, social, or economic conditions” (our translation). In other words, the management and use of natural resources, including forests and wildlife, must be carried out in an integrated manner by the government, i.e. taking into account all resources on the territory as well as the legal vocation of conserving and showcasing the fauna of the wildlife reserve.

In this regard, the forest of Réserve faunique des Laurentides is exploited by designated holders of timber supply guarantees (DHTSG), i.e. forestry companies having a harvest agreement with the MFFP, based on forestry planning under the auspices of the MFFP since April 1, 2013. The Ministère is now in charge of developing tactical and operational integrated forest management plans (IFMP) at the scale of each management unit, taking into consideration, in particular, the allowable cut calculation carried out by the Chief Forester, work from local integrated resources tables and territory management tables (LIRTMT), the orientations and objectives pursued by the Government to the Regional Public Land Use Plans (PATP), the objectives of sustainable forest management as set out in the Law Sustainable Forest Management (LADTF), as well as the sustainable forest development objectives stipulated in the Sustainable Forest Development Act (SFDA). In the wake of this exercise, discussions are underway involving Sépaq, the MFFP, and representatives of forestry companies (DHTSG) aimed at integrating into forestry planning and interventions various measures or procedures designed to minimize conflicts of use and impacts on the wildlife and landscape, as well as on the environment in which recreational and wildlife-related activities are carried out in wildlife reserves.

In order to equip wildlife reserve managers in terms of integrated wildlife-forest-recreation forestry management and to guide the MFFP in harmonizing forestry planning for these unique territories so that the different types of forestry interventions are more predictable, better adapted, and more likely to help fulfil the particular vocation of wildlife reserves, Sépaq has carried out a number of so-called IRM (integrated resource management) projects.

Consult the list of completed projects (in French only)

Specific land-uses

Wildlife Management and Other Projects

Réserve faunique des Laurentides is widely renowned. Every year, people go there to catch some 400,000 native speckled trout. Its wildlife management staff, in conjunction with the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement, de la Faune et des Parcs, monitors this fish species in each body of water.

To this end, the reserve undertakes several operations, including control of undesirable species and restoration of spawning grounds.

Inventory and Assessments

Before fish management planning can begin, the watercourses must be assessed to determine the quality and extent of speckled trout breeding habitats and to set standards for fishing (13 to 15 assessments per year).

Spawning Management and Operation

Currently, over 50 lakes are managed and over 100 spawning grounds have been restored. About 150,000 speckled trout eggs are distributed in a hundred or so incubation boxes in managed spawning areas. About 135,000 become yolk sac fry, i.e., an average hatching rate of 90%.

Lake Trout Spawning Operation

There have been similar efforts on Grand lac Jacques-Cartier. Over 20,000 lake trout eggs are fertilized in 5 incubation boxes that are suspended in deep water in 3 spawning grounds.

Speckled Trout Capture and Relocation

Capture of speckled trout involves around 15,000 individuals. All of them are relocated in order to improve fishing quality and to help restore bodies of water.

Control of Undesirable Species
Following the creation of an obstacle to upstream migration of undesirable species to Lac Montagnais in early spring, we capture a large number of individuals during the white sucker spawning season. We thus significantly improve sport fishing of speckled trout.

Support for Young Graduate Training
Réserve faunique des Laurentides has for several years hosted an internship program for graduates of Cégep St-Félicien. The future technicians (around 20) take part in inventory and habitat assessment operations, mass removal of undesirable species, capture and relocation (speckled trout), and management of new spawning grounds.

Contribution by Fondation de la faune du Québec

Sépaq wishes to thank Fondation de la faune du Québec for financially contributing to major projects in Réserve faunique des Laurentides. Without this contribution, projects like the restoration of the Lac Malbaie spawning ground and several others would not have been possible.

Integrated Management

There is no fish stocking on the territory of Réserve faunique des Laurentides. Fish are native everywhere. The reserve nonetheless strives to conserve fishing quality through trout relocation and wildlife management (spawning ground restoration).

The Réserve faunique des Laurentides biological station is a territory encompassing 5 lakes that are excluded from the fishing plan. The lakes are used only to capture spawners for milt and eggs, in order to restore spawning grounds.