Although the Gulf of St. Lawrence is not currently under exploration or exploitation for its potential oil and gas resources, the situation could well change in the coming years. However, in contrast to the oil and gas exploitation in the Canadian Atlantic, the consequences of an incident in the Gulf of St. Lawrence could be amplified by its particular characteristics - may they be physiographic, oceanographic, climatic or biological. Even if numerous aspects of the Gulf have been studied, there are still considerable knowledge gaps remaining: dispersion of oil slicks in case of spills, cleanup of spills in the presence of ice, characterisation of the microflora of the Gulf with respect to its capacity to degrade hydrocarbons in cold water, etc. In this paper, we present a brief portrait of the main risks and impacts related to the opening of the Gulf to oil and gas exploration and offer future perspectives for this ecosystem bordered by 5 coastal provinces.