Photo: Marc Loiselle

The Climate
The natural surroundings of the Gaspésie are spread in three large areas following the altitude and the relief: the boreal area (from the level of the sea up to 2,000 feet), the subarctic and subalpine area (2,000 to 3,000 feet) and the alpine area (over 3,000 feet). These three area each have their own flora and wildlife. The boreal area countains a littoral sector, the most important and the most diversified; cliffs, promontories, salt-marshes, flat bottom valleys and hills with gentle slopes.The subarctic area only has one plateau where the trees are small and far apart. The alpine area is the summits of the the Chic-Chocs where we find the tundra. 

The Sea
To consult the tides tables… visit the Service hydrographique du Canada Web site: www.niveauxdeau.gc.ca.

Photo: Marc Loiselle

The sea's fish-rich waters shelter species such as cod, haddock, redfish, herring, mackerel, bluefin tuna and salmon. The shoreline, the area where sea and land come together, it teems with a host of other life forms. In addition to the many species of algae, crustaceans and molluscs that live there in abundance, this area also provides a home for barnacles, razor clams, common crabs, starfish and blue mussels.

From May to October, different species of whales (blue whale, humpback whale, minke whale and fin whale) can be sighted off the coast at Percé, Bonaventure Island and in Forillon National Park. By travelling along the coast, you might see the powerful spray of these mammals as they surface for oxygen. If you wish to get a better view, you can take a whale watching cruise. At the same time of year, look out for grey and harbor seals as they bask in the sun on the large flat rocks along the shore. 

Photo: Jean-Pierre Huard

The Barachois
The word "barachois" comes from the French "barre à choir" meaning "landing stage" and referred to the sandy bar that borders the lagoon where fishers would land their boats. Generally, a salt marsh develops at the mouth of a river, built up by the sediment carried along by the current and dropped when river waters reach the open sea.

A "free-trade" zone where salt and fresh water mingle, the salt marsh is an ecosystem where aquatic plant colonies shelter large numbers of zooplankton. Composed mainly of copepods and invertebrate eggs, zooplankton plays a major role in ensuring the survival of benthic fauna, including gasteropods, phychetes and others fish living in the salt marsh are often small and able to withstand variations in temperature and salinity. Most common are the stickleback and the mummichog, salmon, trout, eel, smelt and sandlance can also be found here. The salt marsh also shelters birds, including the Double-crested Cormorant, the Great Blue Heron, the American Black Duck, geese and tern.The River
This ecosystem, crystal-clear and fish-rich, provides a home for an impressive number of animal and plant species. They include, notably, the river otter, and birds such as the Harlequin Duck, the Common Merganser, and the Osprey. The fish species include the Rainbow Smelt, the Atlantic Salmon, and the Brook Trout.

Photo: Jean-Pierre Huard

The Forest
The forest is a highly rich and diversified ecosystem where a number of small mammals live discrete, secretive lives. These include rodents such as chipmunks, muskrats, and porcupines. A number of small insect-eating mammals also make their homes here including shrews and moles. Moreover, the forest shelters carnivores such as the Eastern Cougar, the Coyote, the Red Fox, and the Fisher. The primary amphibians are the Green Frog and the American Toad. Further inland, the Woodland Caribou, the White-tailed Deer and the Moose inhabit the Gaspé's forest together with the Coyote and the Black Bear.

The Tundra
The tundra has particularly developed in Parc national de la Gaspésie where Mont Albert and Jacques-Cartier are located. This climate, comparable to that of Hudson Bay, has lead to the development of an easily recognizable tundra with its vegetation of mosses, lichens, heather and other typical herbaceous plants: dwarfed willows, several varieties of rhododendrons, cladonia, stands of fir mixed with yellow birch, white birch, black spruce, armeria labradorica (statice), campions, starworts and saxifrages.