Documentation, sampling, recovery, and transport of St. Lawrence beluga carcasses to document the causes of mortality

The contractor must be available 24/7 to respond swiftly to cases of beluga carcasses reported by the Marine Mammal Emergency Quebec Network. Upon arrival, the field team will identify the species, assess the carcass's decomposition level based on established criteria, and determine if it is suitable for transport to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Université de Montréal for a full necropsy. The team must have the necessary equipment to extract carcasses, whether fresh or decomposed, and transport them when needed. Expertise in performing standard measurements and metadata collection is required to ensure consistency. The contractor must also have the necessary infrastructure to store tissue samples properly and document cases uniformly, using appropriate software to provide data to stakeholders upon request. Additionally, reports, including photos and metadata, must be submitted after each case. At the end of the year, all collected samples will be turned over to DFO for archiving.