Thirteen species of marine mammals live in the cold waters of the Lower North Shore.  The most common species of seal, harp seals, migrate from the Arctic in the late winter to give birth in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 

The ice floes provide important habitat for the young seals. Whales, porpoises, and dolphins congregate along the coast in the summer and fall, attracted by the abundance of krill and capelin.

Currently, there are more whales along the Lower North Shore than anywhere else in the Gulf.