Two aquatic species described as “iconic” are among nine the federal government is proposing to add to Canada’s endangered species list or reclassify to a higher level of risk.
The two high-profile species are the Atlantic white shark and the northeast Pacific offshore population of killer whales. An order in the most recent Canada Gazette proposes to designate both species as endangered under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).
The offshore killer whale population, which includes an estimated 120 mature animals, is listed currently as a species of special concern, the lowest risk rating. Three other killer whale populations in Canadian waters are listed already as either threatened or endangered.
The northeast Pacific offshore population is vulnerable to threats from contaminants, as well as acoustical and physical disturbance, according to an impact analysis by Environment Canada. Reclassifying them would require the government to develop a recovery strategy, with associated costs.
White sharks, which aren’t now on Canada’s endangered species list, are rarely seen in Canadian waters. Only 32 have been sighted in Atlantic Canada in the past 132 years.
Atlantic populations of the sharks have declined by 80 per cent in the recent years. But because mortality in Canadian waters is only a small part of the threat to the species, “it is unknown to what extent recovery would be facilitated by listing,” the impact analysis acknowledges.
However, like killer whales, “sharks are an iconic species and it is likely the Canadian public would place value on the protection of the white shark under SARA,” the analysis says.
The government also wants to add protection for seven other aquatic species with lower public profiles. It’s proposing to designate the Saskatchewan River and Nelson River populations of the big-mouth buffalo, two Pacific populations of the yelloweye rockfish and the Sowerby’s beaked whale as species of special concern.
It also wants to add the St. Lawrence estuary population of striped bass to the list as an extirpated species, meaning it no longer exists in the wild in Canada. The Quebec government is attempting now to reintroduce the species in the estuary.
The government also proposes to reclassify two species currently on the list — the lake chubsucker and the northern abalone, a large edible sea snail — from threatened to endangered.
The species were assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), a group of wildlife experts and scientists who advise government under the Species at Risk Act.
COSEWIC currently lists 617 wildlife species in various risk categories, including 270 considered endangered, 153 threatened, 172 of special concern and 22 extirpated.
Members of the public have 30 days to make representations on the proposed changes to the list. The government must publish its final decision by June 30, 2011.