Consultations and engagement on the proposed listing of Sei Whale under Canada’s Species at Risk Act

Current status: Closed

Consultation period: November 20, 2024 to January 24, 2025

Species at Risk Act (SARA) provides legal protection for wildlife species at risk to conserve biological diversity. It also acknowledges that all Canadians have a role to play in the conservation of wildlife species.

Before deciding whether the Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis), Atlantic population will be added to Canada’s List of Wildlife Species at Risk, we would like to receive your comments regarding the possible ecological, cultural and economic impacts of listing or not listing this species under SARA.

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The Government of Canada is consulting with Canadians on whether the Atlantic population of Sei Whale should be added to Canada’s Species at Risk Act List of Wildlife Species at Risk as endangered.

Adding a species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk

The first step in the process to determine if a species should be listed under SARA is an assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). COSEWIC, an independent committee of experts, assesses the status of a species based on the best available scientific data, local ecological information and Indigenous knowledge. COSEWIC then assigns the species a designation based on its risk of disappearing in Canada (e.g., endangered, threatened, special concern).

Once the species is assessed, the Government of Canada decides if it will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. Engagement is an important step in the process to gather opinions on the potential impacts of protecting a species under SARA.

Facts about Sei Whales

Sei Whales are large baleen whales. Adults have an average size of about 15 meters in length and weight of 19 tonnes. Sei Whales reach maturity between the ages of 5 and 15 years. They may live to 60 years of age. They are one of the fastest marine mammals, capable of short bursts in excess of 55 km/hour. This species has a tall and curved dorsal (back) fin and is generally dark grey or bluish-grey with a lighter underside (Figure 1).

Image, see long description below.
Figure 1. Sei Whale
Long description

Figure 1 is an artist rendition image of a Sei Whale. Sei Whales have a tall and curved dorsal (back) fin and are generally dark grey or bluish-grey with a lighter underside. These areas may appear mottled, with grey or white circular scars caused by various predators or parasites. Both the lower left and right jaws are dark in colour.

Sei Whales are found in all oceans, normally in temperate waters ranging from approximately 8 to 18°C and 40 to several thousand meters deep. They migrate from low latitudes in the winter to higher latitudes in the summer to their feeding grounds, though some individuals remain at higher latitude feeding grounds throughout the year.

In Atlantic Canada, they have been detected in the Bay of Fundy, on the Scotian Shelf and Slope, in waters off the coast of Newfoundland, and in the Labrador Sea in the summer. Some Sei Whales can be found in these waters year round. There have also been some observations in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Sei Whales’ preferred feeding habitat is pelagic, meaning open water not near the bottom or shore, with high concentrations of zooplankton, especially copepods. They also eat small schooling fish such as capelin.

Status designation of Sei Whales in Canadian waters

In 2003 COSEWIC designated the Atlantic population of Sei Whale data deficient which means there was insufficient scientific information to support status designation. The species was then re-examined by COSEWIC and designated as endangered in 2019. Under SARA, an endangered species is defined as a wildlife species that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Why are Sei Whales assessed as endangered?

COSEWIC assessed Sei Whales as endangered due to the population being reduced by whaling in eastern Canada which began in the late 1800s and ended in 1972. The current population is likely fewer than 1,000 mature individuals in Canadian waters. Current threats to the species include underwater noise from seismic exploration for oil and gas, drilling of oil/gas wells, shipping, and military exercises. Underwater noise can lead to the alteration of foraging behavior, changes in habitat use, changes in acoustic communication, increased stress, and even death in some cases. Other threats include collisions with vessels and entanglement in fishing gear.

What happens if Sei Whales are listed as an endangered species under the SARA?

If Sei Whales are listed as endangered, the prohibitions of SARA would immediately come into effect in Canadian waters. The prohibitions would mean that it would be illegal to kill, harm, harass, capture, possess, buy, sell, or trade Sei Whales. Through collaboration with concerned Indigenous organizations and stakeholders, a recovery strategy and subsequent action plan(s) would be developed to identify measures to address threats and recover the population. Critical habitat, which is the habitat necessary for the survival and recovery of Sei Whales, would need to be identified, to the extent possible, in a recovery strategy or action plan. Destruction of any part of the critical habitat would be prohibited under SARA. Activities with the potential to affect Sei Whales may qualify for a permit or exemption, provided they meet the purpose and pre-conditions required under SARA. Protections under the Fisheries Act and Marine Mammal Regulations would still apply. 

How would listing under SARA benefit Sei Whales? Prohibitions and obligations implemented under SARA would provide further legal protection for this species in Canadian waters and would trigger recovery planning in collaboration with key partners. There may be increased access to funding for scientific research and public stewardship activities aimed at recovering Sei Whales.

Related information

Contact us

Species at Risk Program
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
PO Box 5667
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5X1
DFO.SARANL-LEPTNL.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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