A North Coast diver, Patrick R. Bourgeois, is concerned about the impact warming waters of the St. Lawrence River could have on marine species. He’s had a front row seat at Species for a dozen years.
Off the coast of Baie-Comeau, Patrick R. Bourgeois dives into the waters of the St. Lawrence Estuary to observe and photograph marine life.
This summer, he noted the effects of rising water temperatures on certain species of marine invertebrates. The anemones were all crushed on the rocks. The scarlet psolus [des cousins des concombres de mer], there are thousands of them here. Many are completely dead, complains Patrick R. Bourgeois.
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Patrick R. Bourgeois uses a dive computer to tell him the water temperature.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Camille Lacroix
In his opinion, the warming water is to blame for this. It was a super hot summer this year. We no longer have around 12, 13°C. I even did a dive at 16°C. […] No matter how much we make the predictions we want, we end up in something unpredictable, the diver fears.
Who will be there tomorrow, what animals will be there? I don’t know it.
The diver also observes more bluefin tuna and lobster; something he had never experienced in the last ten years.
What scientists say
By 2022, the Gulf’s deep water will have exceeded the 7°C threshold: temperatures never higher since 1915, according to data from the Maurice Lamontagne Institute published last June.
Stéphane Plourde, a researcher in biological oceanography at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute, explains that certain species may be favored in warm waters while others suffer from warming.
It is not known whether the increased bluefin tuna presence in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is due to an increase in the bluefin tuna population or to warming. But it is clear that it is a species that tends to follow warm waters and that also follows its prey, explains biologist Stéphane Plourde.
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Underwater photographer Patrick R. Bourgeois took this photo of a bluefin tuna not far from Baie-Comeau
Photo: Courtesy of Patrick Bourgeois
From August 4th to September 4th, researchers at the institute will examine around 300 species of fish and invertebrates in the waters of the St. Lawrence River. Their data will make it possible to better understand the effects of climate change on wildlife.
Actions for the environment
Patrick R. Bourgeois wants to raise awareness among the population and local elected officials about these environmental issues.
It might be time to stop messing up anything in the environment. I just clean all of our wastewater […], it’s not hard to imagine it. You just need the will to do it and the money to invest in it, believes Patrick R. Bourgeois.
The photographer captures the species that cross his path not with a net, but with his camera. His images enable him to introduce the population to the depths of the estuary.
I try to show people through pictures that everything is beautiful and worth protecting.
I think that pictures say a lot, they break myths, such as the myth that the river mouth is a big black hole with a lot of mud and there is nothing to see. That is not true. “These are waters that are extremely rich,” marvels Patrick R. Bourgeois.