A translation by Judith Turcotte.
A few weeks ago, I read that two environmental organizations were contesting the permit granted by Ottawa to the Port of Montréal for its expansion in Contrecoeur. These two organizations, The Society for Nature and Parks, Québec section (SNAP Québec) and Le Centre Québecois du droit de l’environnement (CQDE) argued that the project would be carried out in the habitat of the copper redhorse (chevalier cuivré), a species listed in the register of endangered species. This poor copper redhorse seems to carry a lot on its shoulders and its precarious existence is used in the protests to many planned projects along the Saint Lawrence and the Richelieu, among them the now-dead Northvolt project.
To put things in perspective, the total population of the copper redhorse ranges between a few hundred and a few thousand specimens.
Why is there so much importance given to this species? It is a fish that only exists in Québec. It lives in the Richelieu and the St. Lawrence River and nowhere else on the planet. It has been classified as an endangered species since 1999 and a vanishing species since 2007. The copper redhorse is a good example of the consequences of contamination and human disturbances. It is endangered by the disappearance of aquatic grass beds which serve as its spawning grounds in the Richelieu River. After its birth, the fish migrates towards the St. Lawrence River where the quality of water is not favourable to its survival.
In addition to the contamination, the copper redhorse is endangered by exotic species such as the zebra and quagga mussels which alter the communities that live at the bottom of the water and in the sediments. (To impress your friends, these species are described as benthic.) This is the case of the copper redhorse. Other exotic species increase the waters’ eutrophication (another word I have added to my vocabulary) that consists in the excessive intake of nutrients leading to plant proliferation and the depletion of the redhorse’s essential oxygen. Among these species, we find the black-spotted goby and the tench.
It is easy to understand that a fish, unique to Québec waters, with an endangered species status, becomes a star that we must protect. As expected, its fishing is prohibited and the key to its survival, according to the environmental groups, remains the protection of the seagrass beds which represent their spawning areas. Access to the Chambly rapids is forbidden from June 20th to July 20th to protect the spawning period. These rapids are protected in perpetuity by the Nature Conservancy. A law also forbids the destruction of the natural habitat of the redhorse on the St. Lawrence River and the Saint-Ours rapids.
The spawning areas are important, however, the bad quality of the water also represents a cause of the difficulties met by the copper redhorse and the 28 other endangered species who try to survive in the St. Lawrence River. What discourages me in this matter is the extent of the work to be done for the decontamination of the river. To restore survival conditions, we must reduce the agricultural contamination, the discharges of chemical products and the sewage discharges. These measures are essential in protecting not only the endangered species but all of us.