Canada Proposes New Protections for 15 Aquatic Species Populations

Canada has proposed adding or reclassifying 15 aquatic species populations under its Species at Risk Act, opening a 30-day public consultation on measures intended to strengthen protection for vulnerable wildlife.

Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson announced the proposed changes, which include adding 11 species or populations to Schedule 1 of the legislation and revising the conservation status of several species already listed.

The proposed additions include porbeagle, darkblotched rockfish, North Pacific spiny dogfish, basking shark in the Atlantic, and river darter populations in the Great Lakes–Upper St Lawrence region. The proposals also cover two populations of winter skate, the Laurentian–Scotian population of smooth skate, Atlantic spiny dogfish and both species of Little Quarry Lake threespine stickleback.

The proposed order would also upgrade the status of warmouth from special concern to endangered and reclassify the Cultus Lake population of coastrange sculpin from threatened to endangered. It would divide the Eastslope populations of Rocky Mountain sculpin into two groups: the Missouri River populations and the Saskatchewan–Nelson River populations.

The public consultation is intended to gather feedback from Indigenous communities, provincial and territorial governments, industry, stakeholders and members of the public before the government makes its final listing decisions.

“People who live and work on the water see what is changing, and that knowledge helps shape listing decisions under the Species at Risk Act,” Thompson said, urging Canadians to contribute to the process.

The government will consider scientific assessments from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, consultations with affected communities and industries, and potential socio-economic consequences when deciding whether to proceed with the proposed listings.

Introduced in 2002, the Species at Risk Act establishes a legal framework for protecting and recovering wildlife at risk. Depending on a species’ classification, listing can trigger legal protections and requirements for management and recovery planning.

Source: FSX Business News