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Press release
AN EMERGENCY NETWORK FOR ST. LAWRENCE MARINE MAMMALS Tadoussac, 17 June 2005 — For a second year, a network is coming to the assistance of marine mammals, victims of certain types of incidents in the St. Lawrence. To contact the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network, simply dial the following toll free number: 1-877-7baleine. The Network brings together government institutions and private sector Quebec organizations that work with marine mammals. Every year, in all oceans of the planet, tens of thousands of marine mammals fall victim to incidents involving various human related activities. These incidents contribute to further reducing already threatened populations. They also incur economic losses for fishermen and ship owners. The St. Lawrence is no exception to these events. The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network Call Centre received 252 calls between 1 March 2004 and 1 March 2005 for a total of 143 different cases. Of these, 50 involved live whales or seals and 20 of these were animals in distress. The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network has been mandated to organize, coordinate and implement measures to reduce the accidental death of marine mammals, save animals in trouble and favour the acquisition of data for cases involving beached or drifting carcasses in St. Lawrence waters bordering the province of Quebec. The Network is made up of the following members: the Biodôme de Montréal, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada, the Parc Aquarium du Québec, the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM), the Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS), the Réseau d’observation des mammifères marins (ROMM), the Centre Québécois pour la santé des animaux sauvages (CQSAS) and the St. Lawrence National Institute of Ecotoxicology (SLNIE). As of now, anyone who uses the St. Lawrence or lives along its shores is invited to alert the Network by calling, toll free, 1-877-7baleine (1-877-722-5346) for any of the following cases: The Network is in charge of training regional response teams and receiving calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An awareness campaign for the entire Gulf, Estuary and fluvial portion of the St. Lawrence—situated between Montreal and Québec City—is underway to inform the public of typical incidents to which marine mammals fall victim in the St. Lawrence, as well as the existence of the Network and its toll-free number. - 30 - Source:
For more information concerning the Network’s partners and its mandate:
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