White Hake (Urophycis tenuis): consultation, 2019

Submit your comments here:

• Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence population
• Atlantic and Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence population

The Government of Canada is consulting with Canadians on whether the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) and the Atlantic and Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (ANGSL) populations of White Hake should be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as an endangered and threatened species, respectively. Please fill out the online survey by May 6, 2019.

Consultations: let your opinion be heard

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) supports Canada’s international commitments to conserve biological diversity by providing legal protection for wildlife species at risk. SARA acknowledges that all Canadians have a role to play in the conservation of wildlife species.

Before deciding whether sGSL and ANGSL White Hake (Urophycis tenuis) will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk under SARA, we would like your comments. Tell us about the possible ecological, cultural and economic impacts of listing or not listing this species.

Adding a species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk

The first step to determine if a species should be listed under SARA occurs when the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent committee of experts, assesses the status of a species based on the best available information, including 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 assessed, the Government of Canada decides if the species will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk under SARA. Consultations with Indigenous Peoples, stakeholders and the general public are an important step in the process of gathering information on the potential positive and negative impacts of protecting a species under SARA.

Facts about White Hake

White Hake is a cod-like bottom-dwelling groundfish found on the east coast of Canada (Figure 1). White Hake range from Cape Hatteras in the United States of America to Newfoundland and Labrador (Figure 2). White Hake is distinguished by two dorsal fins, a single anal fin, a small chin barbel (whisker like organ near the mouth) and two long feeler-like ventral fins. A single female can produce several million eggs per spawning event. Larger fish are generally found in deeper waters, and juveniles usually occupy shallow areas close to shore, or over shallow offshore banks. White Hake are temperature-keepers, preferring waters of 4 to 10^oC. Fish of all sizes tend to move inshore in summer, and migrate to deeper waters during winter. Their diet consists of small crustaceans (e.g., shrimp), fish, squid, and marine worms.

Status designation of White Hake in Canadian waters

COSEWIC assessed sGSL White Hake as endangered and ANGSL White Hake as threatened in November 2013. Under SARA, an endangered species is defined as one that is facing imminent extirpation (the species no longer exists in the wild in Canada) or extinction (the species no longer exists in the wild anywhere). A threatened species is defined as one that is likely to become endangered, if threats are not addressed.

Why is White Hake assessed as endangered in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and threatened in the Atlantic and Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

The main threat to White Hake in the sGSL is from an increase in natural mortality. Predation by Grey Seals is considered to be a major cause of this natural mortality. Over the past 3 generations (27 years), adult abundance declined by 91%. Levels of fishing removals that were sustainable in the 1970s and early 1980s became unsustainable when non-fishing mortality increased in the Late 1980s. No directed fishing for White Hake has been allowed in the sGSL since 1995.

Atlantic and Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence

According to the 2013 COSEWIC assessment, overfishing in the late 1980s and early 1990s was the main reason for the decline in abundance of ANGSL White Hake. Although fishing mortality likely caused the initial decline, the main threat is currently from high levels of natural mortality. ANGSL White Hake are estimated to have declined by approximately 70% between 1990 and 2013.  Fishing mortality continues in Canadian directed White Hake fisheries in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Division 3NOP, and as bycatch in other Canadian fisheries.

What happens if White Hake is listed under SARA

If White Hake is listed as endangered or threatened, the prohibitions of SARA would immediately come into effect in Canadian waters. It would be illegal to kill, harm, harass, capture, possess, buy, sell, or trade White Hake, unless the associated activities can be allowed through permitting,  exemption, or regulation. A recovery strategy and subsequent action plan(s) would be developed to identify measures to address threats. Critical habitat – the habitat necessary for the survival and recovery of White Hake – would need to be identified, to the extent possible, in a recovery strategy or action plan. Destruction of any part of its critical habitat would be prohibited under SARA.

How would listing under SARA benefit White Hake

The prohibitions implemented under SARA would provide legal protection for this species in Canadian waters and would trigger recovery planning in collaboration with key partners. There may be increased funding for scientific research and public stewardship activities aimed at recovering the species.

How would listing White Hake impact fishing activities

Food, social and ceremonial (FSC) Fisheries

FSC fisheries may be allowed provided that they are compatible with the objectives outlined in the recovery strategy for the species. SARA provides two mechanisms, permit or exemption^{Footnote 1} to allow for the continuity of these activities.

Commercial and Recreational Fisheries

Directed White Hake fisheries would be prohibited under SARA. Bycatch fisheries, if not negatively impacting the survival or recovery of White Hake, may however be exempted or permitted under SARA. White Hake bycatch must be returned to the water in the manner that causes the least harm. Other fleet or fishery specific measures could also be implemented.

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Your comments on the potential impacts of adding or not adding White Hake to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk under SARA would be appreciated.

Related links

• COSEWIC assessment and Status Report (2013)
• Recovery Potential Assessment for sGSL White Hake (2016) and ANGSL White Hake (2016)

For more information

Species at Risk Program, DFO, Maritimes Region
1 Challenger Drive, PO Box 1006
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4A2
SpeciesatRisk.XMAR@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Your comments are important.

Thank you for completing this survey.