Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Quebec Region, is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Lagacé to the new position of Director, Oceans Management. Ms. Lagacé took office on October 23, 2017.

The team at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Quebec Region, is proud to announce the appointment of Nicole Bouchard as Regional Director, Ecosystems Management. Ms. Bouchard took office on October 23, 2017.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is preparing to take a new step through the implementation of an electronic logbook. Following pilot projects and the establishment of a development standard for applications intended for fishers, the Department hopes that a greater number of fishers will adopt this new technology. Progressively, its use will become mandatory.

The Ocean Protection Plan (OPP) has numerous objectives, including reducing the number of wrecked and abandoned vessels. Through this initiative, the Government of Canada hopes to decrease the potential environmental impacts associated with the presence of these vessels. To that end, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has established a dedicated program that has received funding of $1.325 million.

A team of biologists from the Quebec, Gulf and Maritimes Oceans and Sciences branches took part in a unique scientific mission from August 23 to 30, 2017. It involved venturing to seldom explored or unexplored parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence seafloor using ROPOS, a Canadian remote-controlled robot, to capture new images of the seabed and collect a variety of samples.

Each year, the holiday season offers an opportunity to reflect on the year that has passed and the one to come, and to connect results and projections.

Led by Commissioner Jeffery Hutchinson and Assistant Commissioner Julie Gascon, the Canadian Coast Guard, Central and Arctic Region, took part in the Montréal Pride Parade for the first time on August 20, 2017. Several members of our organization, some wearing their uniforms proudly, marched in the parade.

The Oceans Protection Plan combines several initiatives that aim to strengthen protection of Canada's oceans and seaways, enhance marine safety, and improve and protect marine environments.

Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS) centres play a key role in enforcing the temporary measures announced in August to prevent the deaths of North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The Fisheries and Oceans Canada team is pleased to welcome Érick St-Laurent as Gaspé–Lower St. Lawrence Area director. Originally from Sainte-Anne-des-Monts and a graduate of Université Laval with a degree in political science, Mr. St-Laurent assumed his duties on September 5, 2017.