Portrait of recreational boating in the summer habitat of the St. Lawrence beluga and the blue whale, and estimation of these species' exposure to underwater noise produced by recreational boating activities

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is the department responsible for protecting Canada's waters and managing its fisheries and oceans resources. Its mandate includes the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, the sustainable control and management of resources, as well as habitat protection, scientific research, communication, and outreach. Canada has marine and coastal areas that are ecologically diverse and economically important. Fisheries and Oceans Canada protects Canada's waters by, among other things, ensuring that Canada's oceans and other aquatic ecosystems are protected from the negative impacts of human activities. The Marine Planning and Conservation Division (MCPD) is one of three programs that make up Fisheries and Oceans Canada's (DFO) Regional Ecosystem Management Branch (RMMD) for the Quebec Region. Our division's mission is to ensure the protection and sustainable management of the resources of the marine environment. The main objective of this project is to produce a quantitative, spatial, and temporal portrait of recreational boating activities in part of the beluga and blue whale habitat in the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers using satellite imagery and to assess the exposure of these species to underwater noise and its potential effects.