The federal Whales Protection Initiative began in 2018. The first phase of this five‑year initiative focused primarily on the Southern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus orca). The second phase of the initiative, which took place from April 2023 to March 2026, made it possible to allocate additional resources to support efforts targeting the St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas).

The threats identified in the Recovery Program for the St. Lawrence Estuary Beluga population under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) include, among others, habitat loss and disturbance, reduced prey abundance, quality, and availability, human‑induced disturbance, and the presence of contaminants.

(https://www.canada.ca/fr/environnement-changement-climatique/services/registre-public-especes-peril/programmes-retablissement/beluga-population-estuaire-saint-laurent/chapitre-2.html#s1_5)

As part of Initiative 2.0, the team responsible for monitoring and water quality surveillance at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) conducted sampling of freshwater, sediments, and biota at the mouths of major freshwater tributaries flowing into the beluga’s critical habitat. This sampling program aimed to document the concentrations and detection frequency of contaminants considered to be of concern. The team also sought to test a multi‑matrix approach by collecting water, sediment, and biota samples at the same locations and at the same time.

The sampling sites are located around Québec City (St. Lawrence River, Boyer River, Saint‑Charles River, Sainte‑Anne‑de‑Beaupré River, Aulneuse River, Etchemin River), within the critical habitat area (Tadoussac, Moulin‑à‑Baude River, Sainte‑Marguerite River, Mars River, Essipit), as well as within the area proposed for critical habitat expansion (Rivière‑du‑Loup, Isle‑Verte River, Cacouna, Trois‑Pistoles River, Bic Park). The lists of sampling sites and targeted contaminants were adjusted as the program evolved. Sampling frequency was established based on the matrices.