Press releaseTadoussac, 16 December 2002 Oil and gas exploration in the St. Lawrence: the regions want to conserve their assetsTadoussac, December 16, 2002 – The St. Lawrence is presently the target of several oil and gas exploration projects off Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and, more recently, Quebec. While some of these projects have undergone environmental impact studies, to date, there has never been a study to examine all of these projects together to evaluate their cumulative social, economic and environmental effects. Yet, these projects will likely have major effects on marine life. And, for regions along the St. Lawrence, many key industries depend on this very marine life. Seismic exploration requires the use of airgun arrays. Detonated every 9 to 12 seconds, explosions will literally invade the marine environment. The resulting sound pollution can have serious repercussions on the distribution, reproduction or even the very survival of marine species such as whales, seals, fish and crustaceans. It is therefore urgent that the various interveners that may be affected by gas and oil exploration and exploitation be consulted. It is also essential that these projects be dealt with in their entirety. According to Robert Michaud, Scientific Research Director for the GREMM, "These projects will have impacts that are difficult to predict on the whole St. Lawrence marine ecosystem. Collective decisions will have to be made." The Manicouagan Regional Tourism Association voted unanimously on a resolution to oppose oil and gas exploration in the St. Lawrence Gulf and Estuary. "The businesses we represent depend on the presence of whales in the St. Lawrence. This means 3000 jobs in Manicouagan, and we were not even consulted!" declared Christian Bouchard, General Director of the Association. Édouard Hamel, President of the Association des bateliers du Saguenay, was equally alarmed: "We must make sure that ecotourism will not suffer". Fishermen are also very concerned. "Caution is imperative. The regions also need to conserve what they have acquired." stated Gabrielle Landry, General Director of the Fédération des pêcheurs semi-hauturiers du Québec. While the Quebec government has been very vocal in demanding its right to push for oil and gas exploration in the St. Lawrence for weeks now, all the while denouncing the slowness of Ottawa in furnishing it with the necessary tools, its ministère des Ressources naturelles has already issued a seismic exploration permit for a project west of Anticosti Island, a territory over which it has full jurisdiction. This project was not subjected to any consultation, nor was it rendered public. —30 — Source
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