Reflections on the Relationships between Scientific Research and a Watershed Approach to Water Management: The Case of the Missisquoi Bay Watershed Corporation

Abstract

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Missisquoi Bay area of Lake Champlain was renowned as a recreational and tourist destination. It attracted large numbers of angling, boating, swimming, camping and birdwatching enthusiasts. Commercial fishing flourished and ice fishing was a popular pastime with both local residents and visitors. Biological productivity on the Québec side of Lake Champlain was so high that it was a source of supply for stocking walleye to other lakes in Québec between 1954 and 1957 and perch in 1974 and 1975 (Leclerc, 1975). Unfortunately, water quality in the area began to decline in the 1970s. A 1987 study of eutrophication of the Bay (Environnement Canada, 1987) revealed that it had already reached the last stages of eutrophication, and that there was no indication that this trend would change in the future. Development around the Bay and in the watershed had led to water nutrient enrichment and bacteriological contamination had become a major hindrance to swimming and water sports.

Translation: Michael Gilson, Tangerine Communications. Verification: Sandy Montgomery