Quebec Fish Knowledge Forum

Back on November 18-19 2026
Mont-Saint-Anne Delta Hotel

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The Quebec Fish Knowledge Forum is jointly organized by the Quebec Federation for Atlantic Salmon (FQSA), the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation (FCSA), CIRSA, and the Quebec Biodiversity and Wildlife Foundation. Its mission is to create a dedicated space for dialogue, reflection, and collaboration among conservation organizations, scientists, wildlife managers, decision-makers, stakeholders in the field, and the general public committed to aquatic biodiversity.

The event aims to promote the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and field experience, while strengthening the links between scientific research and concrete actions carried out in the region. The Forum highlights the latest scientific advances, technological innovations, and innovative approaches to the conservation, sustainable management, and enhancement of fish and their habitats.

Through conferences, panel discussions, and interdisciplinary exchanges, the Forum also contributes to education and awareness-raising on current and future challenges related to Quebec’s aquatic ecosystems, such as climate change, habitat connectivity, anthropogenic pressure, and biodiversity protection. The 2026 edition is part of an effort to mobilize knowledge and stakeholders to support sustainable practices and strengthen the resilience of aquatic environments for present and future generations.

* The forum is being translated into English in real time.

 

OPENING SPEAKER

Jean Desy

Jean Désy is a poet and a doctor. He teaches literature and medicine at Laval University. He remains passionate about the North, particularly the Far North and Nunavik. His calling was to be a teacher, but first and foremost, a Scout leader. For the past six years, he has organized “backcountry literary camps” several times a year around his cabin in the Bras-du-Nord Valley, not far from Saint-Raymond de Portneuf, in the company of students. Among his most recent publications are an essay titled Soigner la médecine, published in March 2024 by XYZ Press, and a poetry collection titled Aimer la terre, published in April 2024 by Mémoire d’encrier.

GUEST SPEAKER

Claude Lavoie

Claude Lavoie, Ph.D., biologist, full professor at the École supérieure d’aménagement du territoire et de développement régional (ÉSAD) at Laval University and a regular researcher at the Interuniversity Research Group on Limnology (GRIL).

Claude Lavoie is an expert on invasive species. He has published several books on the subject, including 50 Invasive Plants (2019) and 40 More Invasive Plants (2022), and, more recently, Invasive or Overabundant Animals… The Challenge of Coexistence (2026), all published by Publications du Québec.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Invasive fish: Do they affect biodiversity? Only time will tell.

Invasive alien species are known to have a harmful effect on biodiversity. This is often the case, but not always, and there are sometimes significant differences between perception (harmful effect) and reality (negligible impact). Non-native fish also have a very bad reputation, but what do we really know about the true consequences of the intentional or accidental introduction of species that have since become invasive? In hindsight, it is clear that it is difficult to predict the future of a population and its effects on biodiversity. The black-spotted goby has become the most abundant fish in the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, and is now fully integrated into the food chain—for better or for worse. The tubular-nosed goby, though introduced in the same year, has hardly spread at all. Hundreds of thousands of silver carp were introduced in the United States, to no avail. It has become invasive only in Quebec, a fact that still puzzles researchers. Asian carp have not yet managed to establish themselves firmly in the Great Lakes, despite the flood of doomsday predictions. We are beginning to understand the reasons why, even though there are still many gaps in our knowledge. Can these few examples teach us anything about the potential impact of new invaders, such as pink salmon? Once again, history will tell (perhaps), but there is no guarantee that, in this world of climate change, the past is necessarily a predictor of the future.