For the past few weeks, observations of white sharks in Gaspésie, in the Islands-de-la-Madeleine and even near Halifax have reacted and fascinated. This is a “good news” for ecosystems of the St. Lawrence River, estimates a specialist.
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If their presence seems more frequent, it is also because we talk more about it, according to Marie-Pierre Lessard, director of conservation, research and animal health at the Quebec Aquarium.
“We talk about it much more than before, simply because we have many more tools now to observe them,” she explained at the microphone of Isabelle Perron at Qub Radio and Télé, broadcast simultaneously on the waves of the 99.5 FM Montreal on Thursday.
“The arrival of social networks, cameras, scuba diving is increasingly popular. We also have new research sites that is done on sharks and we are now able to follow them. There are certain sharks now that have transmitters about them, so we are able to follow them in real time. ”
However, she confirms that white sharks are indeed more numerous than before in the St. Lawrence River. The abundance of food, especially due to the overpopulation of seals in eastern Canada, attracts these predators.
“The seal is part of the basic diet of sharks,” recalls the specialist.
“The return of the white shark, the observation of the white shark in the St. Lawrence River is good news for us because the shark is a super important element in the balance of ecosystems of the St. Lawrence River. [Il] comes to balance seal populations. [Comme] There are fewer seals, fish stocks are also less affected. It is a balance that is super important that nature is capable of doing by itself. And when all individuals are in good quantity in the right place, it’s going really well. ”
And no worries about other marine mammals: “The whale will not be a prey for sharks. […] It is not part of their diet ”.
Listen to the full interview above.
