Gulf of St. Lawrence

The Gulf of St. Lawrence is a large body of water that touches the shores of several places in Canada, including the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. It also includes the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, which belong to France, in North America.

This gulf is very important because it links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence River. This connection allows ships and boats to travel between many parts of eastern Canada and the rest of the world. The Gulf of St. Lawrence is a busy place for fishing, transportation, and supporting many kinds of wildlife.

Geography

The Gulf of St. Lawrence is a large body of water that touches many parts of eastern Canada. It is bordered by the Labrador Peninsula and Quebec to the north, Saint-Pierre and Newfoundland to the east, the Nova Scotia peninsula and Cape Breton Island to the south, and the Gaspé Peninsula, New Brunswick, and Quebec to the west. The gulf includes many islands such as Anticosti, Prince Edward, Saint Pierre, Cape Breton, Miquelon-Langlade, and the Îles-de-la-Madeleine archipelago.

Half of Canada’s provinces, including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec, are near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The exact point where the St Lawrence River ends and the gulf begins is not fully agreed upon by scientists. Some say it begins at Pointe des Monts on the Côte-Nord and Matane Bas-Saint-Laurent or Sainte-Anne-des-Monts La Haute-Gaspésie.

History

The Gulf of St. Lawrence has been an important place for fishing for many First Nations people who have lived along its shores for thousands of years. They also used the waters for travel.

The first European to explore these waters was a French explorer named Jacques Cartier in 1534. He named the area around the St. Lawrence River "The Country of Canadas" after a local word for "village". Later, Basque whalers from Saint-Jean-de-Luz began whaling in the gulf and worked with local Iroquois people. However, when England stopped allowing Spanish oil imports in 1579, the Basque whaling business could not continue and ended in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Ecology

Marine Mammals

Thirteen species of cetaceans live in the estuary and the Gulf of St. Lawrence River. These include the Northern bottlenose whale, Beluga whale, Sperm whale, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, White-beaked dolphin, Orca, Long-finned pilot whale, Harbour porpoise, North Atlantic right whale, Common minke whale, Blue whale, Humpback whale, and Fin whale.

Weather and climate

In winter, lots of ice forms in the St. Lawrence River. The ice starts forming in December between Montreal and Quebec City. Winds and currents push this ice towards the estuary, usually reaching east of Les Méchins by the end of December. By January and February, the ice covers the whole gulf.

The ice helps ships by stopping big waves and spray. This means ships don’t get covered in ice as easily.

Human activity

Ports

Many ports in Quebec are found along the St. Lawrence River seaway. Some ports in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the Côte-Nord Shore are Blanc-Sablon, Harrington Harbor, Natashquan, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Mingan, Port-Menier (Anticosti Island), and Cap-aux-Meules (Îles-de-la-Madeleine).

Protected Areas and National Parks

The Western Honguedo Strait Coral Conservation Area was created in March 2018 after an agreement between Canada and Quebec.

St. Paul Island, near the northeastern tip of Cape Breton Island, is known as the "Graveyard of the Gulf" because of its many shipwrecks. Access to this island is managed by the Canadian Coast Guard.

In 1919, the first Migratory Bird Sanctuaries in Canada were set up on Bonaventure Island, the Bird Rocks of the Magdalen Islands, and Percé Rock. These sanctuaries for migratory bird are cared for by the Canadian Wildlife Service.

National Parks near the Gulf of St. Lawrence include Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve in Côte-Nord, Forillon National Park on the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, Prince Edward Island National Park on the northern shore of the island, Kouchibouguac National Park on the northeastern coast of New Brunswick, Cape Breton Highlands National Park on the northern tip of Cape Breton Island, and Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland.

Since March 31, 2024, Quebec has expanded its protected areas to cover 274,431 km². This includes 255,377 km² of land and freshwater, and 18,991 km² of marine and coastal areas.