1 The St. Lawrence River is eight hundred miles in length from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean where it empties into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A ship can sail from Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean in eight to ten days in good weather, and each year the river's system handles over eleven million tons of heavy raw materials.
2 Jacques Cartier, the French explorer, founded the St. Lawrence River in the name of King Francis I in 1534. Cartier discovered the large supply of valuable furs available and made the first recorded trade agreement with the native peoples. In exchange for furs, food, and hides, the native peoples were given firearms, blankets, metal, and cloth. The St. Lawrence River was very important to the growth of both Canada and the United States. The river linked Europe and the American northeast with the Great Lakes and allowed explorers and traders to open up the country in the 1700s.
3 The river provides a habitat for both freshwater and saltwater fish. Some of the freshwater fish are carp, bass, sturgeon, and pike. Saltwater fish include cod, halibut, salmon, and mackerel. Aquatic animals in the river include clams, crabs, urchins, and mussels. Seals and whales often take refuge in the St. Lawrence River. In 1885, there were over fifty thousand Beluga whales in the St. Lawrence River system. Today scientists estimate the numbers between five hundred and one thousand. High pollution levels in the St. Lawrence River from industrial waste, garbage, and air pollution are being blamed for endangering the Beluga whales.
