Federal government acknowledges COSEWIC risk assessments for Basking Shark and 14 other aquatic species

Plain-language summary · AI-assisted

The federal government has formally acknowledged receiving new wildlife risk assessments from COSEWIC covering 15 fish species across Canadian waters. Six species have been assessed as Endangered (including Porbeagle shark and several fish populations in the Great Lakes and Atlantic regions), four as Threatened (Rocky Mountain Sculpins and two Lake Sticklebacks), and five as Special Concern (including the Atlantic Basking Shark and Spiny Dogfish populations). This acknowledgment is a procedural step under the Species at Risk Act and does not itself change the legal status of these species, but it triggers the process by which the federal government must decide whether to add them to the official Species at Risk list. Businesses and individuals whose activities may affect these species — particularly in fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal or freshwater development — should monitor subsequent listing decisions, as those could bring new prohibitions and permit requirements.

Who this affects
commercial and recreational fishers · aquaculture operators · coastal and freshwater resource developers · environmental consultants and permitting professionals · federal and provincial wildlife managers