Northern Brook Lamprey (Saskatchewan – Nelson River population)

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 Northern Brook Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon fossor), Saskatchewan – Nelson River population, will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as endangered, we would like to hear your opinion, comments, and suggestions 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 engaging with Canadians on whether Northern Brook Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon fossor), Saskatchewan – Nelson River population should be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk.

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Key questions for discussion

Adding a population to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk

The process of listing a species under Canada’s SARA consists of several steps: it begins with a status assessment by the Committee on the Status of endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and ends with a Government of Canada decision on whether or not to add a species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. Public consultations are also conducted to gather the opinions of Canadians and are an important step in this process.

Facts about Northern Brook Lamprey

The Northern Brook Lamprey averages 115 – 119 mm total length and is distinguished from other fish by their elongate body shape, jawless mouth (characterized by a toothed oral disc in adults), lack of paired fins and scales, and characterized by a single indented dorsal fin (Figure 1). In the larval phase, the Northern Brook Lamprey are typically found in pools and runs of cool streams. Water depths are typically > 0.1 m with slow or moderate velocities. Larval lamprey are found in substrates dominated by sand and some silt, organic detritus, and small gravel that allows for burrowing. Adults typically burrow in coarser substrates prior to spawning. Spawning occurs in late spring to early summer in shallow riffles on gravel dominated substrate when water temperatures are 13 to 22°C (DFO 2024).

Northern Brook Lamprey occur in freshwater in parts of eastern North America, occur in the Great Lakes - Upper St. Lawrence and Saskatchewan - Nelson River National Freshwater Biogeographic Zones (NFBZs) in Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba. The distribution of Northern Brook Lamprey (Saskatchewan-Nelson River population) is the Whitemouth River and its tributary, the Birch River, in southeastern Manitoba (Figure 2). In addition, larval lamprey have been collected in the Winnipeg River at the confluence of Whitemouth River and Winnipeg River. It is uncertain if larvae collected below the confluence are Northern Brook or Silver lamprey (DFO 2024).

Northern Brook Lamprey has been assessed by COSEWI as endangered. This risk category indicates that this species faces immediate risk of extinction. Substantial targeted sampling, using both conventional methods and environmental DNA (sampling water to confirm presence of DNA from the species), now provides sufficient data to support the COSEWIC assessment. If listed under SARA as endangered, the prohibitions under SARA would immediately come into effect in Canadian waters. It would be illegal to kill, harm, harass, capture, take, possess, collect, buy, sell, or trade individuals of this population.

Who assigned the endangered status to Northern Brook Lamprey?

COSEWIC is an independent committee of experts that assesses and designates which wildlife species are in danger of disappearing from Canada and assigns these species a status. It conducts its assessments based on the best available information including:

• scientific data
• local ecological knowledge
• Indigenous traditional knowledge

COSEWIC assessed the Northern Brook Lamprey (Saskatchewan – Nelson River population) as endangered in 2020.

Why is Northern Lamprey, Saskatchewan – Nelson River population, at risk?

COSEWIC concluded that this small, nonparasitic lamprey has a very limited distribution in the Winnipeg River watershed in southeastern Manitoba. The most serious threats to Northern Brook Lamprey are inadequate stream flow and excessive water temperature. Future climate change scenarios are anticipated to exacerbate these threats. Additional threats were considered to have a lower impact, including:

• non-native species (and their complex interactions)
• agricultural and forestry effluents, dams and water management/use
• other ecosystem modifications (e.g., shoreline development)
• mining and quarrying (DFO 2024)

If a species is listed under the Species at Risk Act

If Northern Brook Lamprey is added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as endangered, it will be subject to prohibitions under SARA and Fisheries and Oceans Canada will be required to produce a recovery strategy and action plan for the species in an effort to ensure that it does not become extinct due to human activities. The recovery strategy and subsequent action plan(s) would be developed to identify measures to address known threats. Critical habitat (the habitat necessary for the survival and recovery of Northern Brook Lamprey) would need to be identified, to the extent possible, in a recovery strategy or action plan and protected from destruction.

Related information

• Species at Risk Public Registry

Contact us

Species at Risk Program
Ontario and Prairie Region
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
501 University Crescent Winnipeg, MB  R3T 2N6
Email: fwisar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Toll-free: 1-866-538-1609