2019 Amendment to Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act: 31 aquatic species
A review of the potential environmental impacts of amendments to the list of species at risk under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) published in the Canada Gazette.
The Order Amending Schedule 1 of the SARA (the Order) helps protect 31 aquatic species at risk by adding them or by modifying their status on the list of species at risk. The objective of the Order is to protect species at risk so they can recover. Species are reassessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) every 10 years, which is one of the ways to assess the health of the species.
Protecting species at risk in Canada helps to maintain biodiversity. Ecosystem function and services, such as natural pest control, pollination, temperature regulation and carbon fixing, can also be maintained by protecting species at risk. Ecosystem functions and services in turn are important to the health of Canadians and have important ties to Canada’s economy. Small changes in an ecosystem can result in the loss of individuals and species, which can lead to irreversible and wide-ranging effects.
The Order supports the goal Healthy wildlife populations from Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) goal as well the Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water of the United Nations Agenda 2030.
The Order will also contribute to fulfilling a commitment made by Canada under the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity) regarding the Aichi target #12, “By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained.”
Table 1: Species proposed to be added to Schedule 1 of SARA (18)
Fish
| Common Population Name | Scientific Name | Status | Range |
| Lake Sturgeon (Southern Hudson Bay - James Bay populations) | Acipenser fulvescens | Special Concern | Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec |
| Silver Lamprey (Great Lakes - Upper St. Lawrence populations) | Ichthyomyzon unicuspis | Special Concern | Ontario, Quebec |
| Bull Trout (Western Arctic populations) | Salvelinus confluentus | Special Concern | Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Yukon |
| Bull Trout (South Coast British Columbia populations) | Salvelinus confluentus | Special Concern | British Columbia |
| Cutlip Minnow | Exoglossum maxillingua | Special Concern | Ontario, Quebec |
| Unarmoured Threespine Stickleback | Gasterosteus aculeatus | Special Concern | British Columbia |
| Giant Threespine Stickleback | Gasterosteus aculeatus | Special Concern | British Columbia |
| Northern Sunfish (Great Lakes-Upper St. Lawrence populations) | Lepomis peltastes | Special Concern | Ontario, Quebec |
| Rainbow Smelt (Lake Utopia large-bodied population) | Osmerus mordax | Threatened | New Brunswick |
| Silver Shiner | Notropis photogenis | Threatened | Ontario |
| Plains Minnow | Hybognathus placitus | Threatened | Saskatchewan |
| Bull Trout (Saskatchewan - Nelson Rivers populations) | Salvelinus confluentus | Threatened | Alberta |
| Black Redhorse | Moxostoma duquesnei | Threatened | Ontario |
| Rainbow Trout (Athabasca River populations) | Oncorhynchus mykiss | Endangered | Alberta |
Molluscs
| Common Population Name | Scientific Name | Status | Range |
| Threehorn Wartyback | Obliquaria reflexa | Threatened | Ontario |
| Fawnsfoot | Truncilla donaciformis | Endangered | Ontario |
| Hickorynut | Obovaria olivaria | Endangered | Ontario, Quebec |
| Lilliput | Toxolasma parvum | Endangered | Ontario |
Table 2: Species proposed to be reclassified in Schedule 1 of SARA (9)
Fish
| Legal Population Name | Scientific Name | Proposed status change | Range |
| Pugnose Minnow | Opsopoeodus emiliae | Reclassify from special concern to threatened | Ontario |
| Pugnose Shiner | Notropis anogenus | Reclassify from endangered to threatened | Ontario |
| Salish Sucker | Catostomus sp. cf. catostomus | Reclassify from Endangered to Threatened | British Columbia |
| Striped Bass (St. Lawrence River population) | Morone saxatilis | Reclassify from Extirpated to Endangered | Quebec, Atlantic Ocean |
| Spotted Gar | Lepisosteus oculatus | Reclassify from Threatened to Endangered | Ontario |
Molluscs
| Legal Population Name | Scientific Name | Proposed status change | Range |
| Mapleleaf (Great Lakes - Upper St. Lawrence population) | Quadrula quadrula |
Reclassify from Threatened to Special Concern | Ontario |
| Rainbow | Villosa iris | Reclassify from Endangered to Special Concern | Ontario |
| Eastern Pondmussel | Ligumia nasuta | Reclassify from Endangered to Special Concern | Ontario |
| Mapleleaf (Saskatchewan-Nelson Rivers population) | Quadrula quadrula |
Reclassify from Endangered to Threatened | Manitoba |
Table 3: Aquatic species where one previously listed species is proposed to be replaced with new Designatable Units (DU) in Schedule 1 of SARA (4)
Channel Darter (being split into 3 unique DUs): Original DU currently listed as threatened under Schedule 1 of SARA
| Legal Population Name | Scientific Name | Proposed status change | Range |
| Channel Darter (Lake Ontario populations) | Percina copelandi | Endangered | Ontario |
| Channel Darter (Lake Erie populations) | Percina copelandi | Endangered | Ontario |
| Channel Darter (St. Lawrence populations) | Percina copelandi | Special Concern | Ontario, Quebec |
Silver Chub (being split into two Unique DUs- One of which is proposed for listing) : Original DU currently listed as special concern on Schedule of SARA
| Legal Population Name | Scientific Name | Proposed status change | Range |
| Silver Chub (Great Lakes - Upper St. Lawrence populations) | Macrhybopsis storeriana |
Endangered | Ontario |
More information
SARA provides proections to species at risk by:
- preventing wildlife species from being extirpated or becoming extinct
- providing for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated, endangered or threatened as a result of human activity and to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened
- responding to the advice of scientists
Species can be added to the list of species at risk (Schedule 1 of SARA) under various designations, which depend on the severity of the risk of disappearance from the wild in Canada. Following listing, species designated as a status of endangered, threatened or extirpated benefit from SARA’s general prohibitions, which include protections against the killing, harming or harassing of individuals and against damaging or destroying their residences. SARA also requires recovery planning efforts to address threats to the survival or recovery of the listed species.
A special concern status in Schedule 1 of SARA does not trigger the general prohibitions, but a management plan is developed, which includes conservation measures to preserve the wildlife species and avoid a future decline of its populations.
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