The Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network

Assisting marine mammals in trouble

Every year, tens of thousands of marine mammals fall victim to incidents related to various types of human activity all over the world. The St. Lawrence is no exception. In 2002, a group of experts met at a workshop to discuss what is at stake and the means available to assist marine mammals in difficulty in the St. Lawrence. They came to the conclusion that a wide variety of incidents involving 13 marine mammal species—cetaceans and seals—occur in the St. Lawrence. The group recommended the establishment of a network to unite the various Quebec organizations and institutions that were already assisting marine mammals.

Two years later, the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network became a reality. The Network is the result of the unified effort of ten partners: 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), the St. Lawrence National Institute of Ecotoxicology, Quebec-Labrador Foundation, Amphibia-Nature, Zoo sauvage de Saint-Félicien, Exploramer, Centre d'éducation et de recherche de Sept-Îles (CERSI) and Aquarium des Iles. Financial support is provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Government of Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk.

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. People who navigate on or live along the St. Lawrence are invited to call 1-877-7baleine (1-877-722-5346) toll free to alert the Network to any incident of accidental entanglement in fishing gear, stranding, ship strike, drifting carcass or marine mammal that has strayed from its customary range. GREMM receives and directs incoming Network calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Depending on the type of incident, intervention teams may be called on to carry out specific actions. These include everything from photographically documenting an incident to carcass recovery to sample collection or even the disentanglement of animals caught in fishing gear. The Network is also a partner in a project to promote the conservation of sea turtles. Anyone sighting, or having sighted, a sea turtle is invited to call the following toll-free number: 1-877-UneLuth (1-877-863-5884).

Incidents involving marine mammals contribute to further reducing already threatened populations. A concerted, rapid and efficient effort is the best mechanism for assisting marine mammals in trouble and collecting the scientific data from every incident that will be beneficial to the improved management of these species.

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