[1] On the edge of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the area of the coastal plain, not very rugged, forms a strip of 10 km wide, with some low hills not exceeding 150 m in altitude.

Towards the north, the piedmont area rises to an altitude of 300 m and stretches for 22 km, in a relief of more rugged rounded rocky hills.

Further north, for approximately 100 km, the dominant physiographic zone occupies half of the territory of the Saint-Jean River watershed.

Forgues (1885), clay cliffs on which there is a layer of sand mixed with black earth, which makes this land suitable for growing potatoes and oats.

[6][5][7]The Innu use the word "Usasumekw", which can be translated as Salmon River, "rivière à saumon" (French), to identify the watercourse.

In view of the rapidly declining Atlantic salmon population catch-and-release should have been implemented on all rivers apart from northern Quebec.