Federal Whales Initiative Freshwater, Sediment and Biota Contaminant Data in Quebec

From 2023 to 2026, Environment and Climate Change Canada collected water, sediment, and biota samples from tributaries flowing into the St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga's critical habitat. The data documents concentrations and detection frequencies of contaminants of concern, using a multi-matrix approach at synchronized locations. Sampling sites were located around Quebec City, within the beluga's critical habitat area near Tadoussac, and within a proposed expansion zone.

Use Cases

• Assess contaminant exposure pathways for the St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga based on multi-matrix sampling.
• Monitor spatial trends of pollutants in freshwater tributaries flowing into critical beluga habitat.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the multi-matrix sampling approach for documenting contaminant presence.
• Support recovery program efforts under the Species at Risk Act by analyzing threats from contaminants.

Strengths

• Data collection follows a multi-matrix approach, sampling water, sediment, and biota simultaneously at the same locations.
• Sampling targeted specific, ecologically significant areas including the beluga's critical habitat and proposed expansion zones.
• The dataset is part of a defined federal initiative (Whales Protection Initiative 2.0) with a clear objective to document contaminants of concern.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The lists of sampling sites and targeted contaminants were adjusted during the program, which may affect data consistency.

Provenance

Source

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Collection Method

Field sampling of freshwater, sediments, and biota at the mouths of major tributaries.

Time Range

2023-04 to 2026-03

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-15 19:31:42.023777; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Quebec Region, Canada, specifically areas around Quebec City, Tadoussac, and the proposed critical habitat expansion zone.