On April 26, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, began a tour of Quebec that took him to the Gaspé–Lower Saint Lawrence and to the Magdalen Islands.

Jawbreaker is a blue whale that frequents the St. Lawrence and has been known to researchers for years. Each summer, she returns to the waters of the estuary to take advantage of the wonderful quantities of plankton, which allow her to replenish her reserves. However, she needs to be very efficient, since she only has a few weeks to store the most energy possible.

Quebec marine product exports were up significantly in 2016, especially in value. A total of 21,927 tonnes were exported for a value of $345.5 million, a 10% increase in volume and a 21% increase in value compared to the year before. There are two main reasons for this significant increase in the value of exports: the increase in lobster and snow crab exports to the United States, and the increase in average export price due to the weak Canadian dollar relative to the American dollar.

Experts from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and those from organizations that cooperated in monitoring the "red tide" observed in the St. Lawrence Estuary in 2008 have just published an article in Plos One, a prestigious international scientific journal. In the article, these experts exhaustively describe this exceptional red tide, which resulted in the death of a large quantity of fish, birds and marine mammals, including several beluga whales—a threatened species at the time but classified as endangered since May.

During an internal workshop held on February 8–9, 2017, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Quebec Region, gave an overview of the scientific work it carried out from 2011–2016 as part of its Aquatic Climate Change Adaptation Services Program. This work focused on developing knowledge on the impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems. It was also an attempt to develop approaches and tools to allow the Department to adapt its initiatives and management decisions to observed or anticipated changes.

The hovercraft Sipu Muin joined the Canadian Coast Guard fleet in 1998. Since that time, it has participated actively in various operations conducted in the Central and Arctic Region, to which Quebec belongs. Depending on the time of year, the air cushion vehicle is equipped to conduct icebreaking, buoy tending (buoys, daymarks, etc.) or search and rescue activities.

Did you know that Fisheries and Oceans Canada's North Shore area office, located in Sept-Îles, as well as the district offices in Baie-Comeau, Blanc-Sablon and Havre-Saint-Pierre, are commited  to serve their clients in the language of their choice? Whether on site, in the office, or during meetings with fishers (advisory committees, industry meetings or consultations), the discussions take place in one official language or the other or both (English and French). Furthermore, all notices, news releases, correspondence, meeting minutes or administrative guidelines are written in both languages.

The Canadian Coast Guard's Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS) are currently seeking officers "to become their eyes and ears".

After 18 years of serving the Canadian Coast Guard, the hovercraft Sipu Muin recently got a facelift. After countless missions, the time had come to give the impressive structure and its systems what we call a "mid-life refit." This major maintenance work has given new life to the Sipu Muin, which will now be able to remain active for another decade to come.

The Town of Gaspé is acquiring the L'Anse-au-Griffon harbour infrastructure under a $1.9 million grant from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The transfer will officially take place on March 31, 2017. As the new owner, the Town of Gaspé will continue to operate the harbour as a public facility.