River Darter (Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations): consultation, 2020

Submit your comments here:

• River Darter (Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations)

Information summary and survey for the consultations on potentially listing River Darter (Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations) on the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as Endangered – Please provide input by May 21, 2020.

Consultations: let your opinion be heard

Canada’s 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 River Darter (Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations) 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.

Adding a species to the list of Wildlife Species at Risk

The process of listing a species under 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 conducted to gather the opinions of Canadians and are an important step in this process.

Facts about River Darter

Although a small fish, the River Darter can grow to almost 10cm in length. The species can be distinguished from other darters by its scaled cheeks and gill cover, and a small black spot in the front and a large, black spot at the rear of its first dorsal fin.  It is mainly found in medium to larger rivers and nearshore areas of lakes with moderate currents. The Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations are found in the Sydenham and Thames rivers and their tributaries, as well as Lake St. Clair (Figure 2).

Who assigned the endangered status to River Darter

In 2016, the COSEWIC reassessed River Darter and split the populations into three separate units:

1. Saskatchewan – Nelson River populations
2. Southern Hudson Bay – James Bay populations
3. Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations.  The Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations were reassessed from Not at Risk to Endangered while the other two populations remain not at risk

COSEWIC is an independent committee of experts that assesses which wildlife species are in some danger of disappearing from Canada and assigns a status to these species. It conducts its assessments based on the best available information including scientific data, local ecological knowledge, and indigenous traditional knowledge. Under SARA, an Endangered species is defined as one that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Why is the River Darter at risk

COSEWIC assessed the River Darter (Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations) as Endangered because of its very restricted distribution and declining habitat quality. Threats to the River Darter population  include impacts to habitat and food availability changes from invasive species, like the Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus), dredging, sedimentation, nutrient loading, contaminants, and toxic substances.

If a species is listed under the Species at Risk Act

If the River Darter (Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations) is listed 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 these populations. However, activities that may affect the species or its critical habitat may be permitted under SARA section 73-74, or exempt under section 83, where that activity does not jeopardize the survival or recovery of the species.

A 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 River Darter) would need to be identified, to the extent possible, in a recovery strategy or action plan and protected from destruction.

---

We would like to receive your comments on the potential impacts of adding or not adding River Darter (Great Lakes – Upper St. Lawrence populations) to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk under SARA designated as Endangered. Your comments are important.

Before completing this survey, you may wish to review the following background information found at the links below:

• 2016 COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the River Darter (PDF, 2.48 MB)
• Other information on the species can be found on the Species at Risk Public Registry.

For more information

Species at Risk Program
Central and Arctic Region
867 Lakeshore Road
Burlington, Ontario
L7S 1A1

Email: fwisar@dfo-mpo.gc.ca