Silver Lamprey (Saskatchewan - Nelson River populations)
Current status: Closed
Opened on August 25, 2023 and will close to new input on October 24, 2023.
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 Silver Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis) (Saskatchewan - Nelson River populations) will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as Special Concern, 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.
Join in: How to participate
Share your ideas online
The Government of Canada is engaging with Canadians on whether Silver Lamprey (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis) (Saskatchewan - Nelson River populations) should be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk.
Please fill out the online survey. Thank you.
Key questions for discussion
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 Silver Lamprey
The Silver Lamprey is an eel-shaped fish that possesses a sucking disc mouth and is without jaws or paired fins (Figure 1). In the larval phase, the Silver Lamprey burrows in sand or silt. The larval phase lasts 4 to 7 years, and larvae reach about 10 cm in length before they begin a metamorphosis where they develop eyes and teeth, and may drift downstream into lakes or rivers. Adult Silver Lampreys are parasitic, feeding on the blood of other fishes. After about 1 year of feeding, they reproduce (at sizes up to 39 cm) and die. Although the invasive Sea Lamprey is a pest in the Great Lakes, Silver Lamprey is native to Manitoba; it co-evolved with its hosts and generally does not kill them.
Silver Lamprey occur in freshwater in parts of eastern North America, with a range extending from Manitoba to Tennessee in the west, to Québec and New York in the east. Silver Lamprey in the Saskatchewan – Nelson River populations have been documented in the streams and lakes in the Nelson and Winnipeg River basins of Manitoba and northwestern Ontario (Figure 2).
Silver Lamprey has been assessed by COSEWIC as a species of Special Concern. This is the lowest level of risk category and indicates that this species is not presently endangered, but is considered to be sensitive to human activities and natural events due to biological factors and/or threats. If listed under SARA as Special Concern, Silver Lamprey will not be subject to prohibitions.
Who assigned the Special Concern status to Silver Lamprey?
COSEWIC is an independent committee of experts that assesses and designates which wildlife species are in some 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 and Indigenous traditional knowledge. COSEWIC assessed the Silver Lamprey (Saskatchewan – Nelson River populations) as a species of Special Concern in 2020.
Why is Silver Lamprey, Saskatchewan - Nelson River population at risk?
COSEWIC concluded that these populations are susceptible to fluctuating water levels as a result of water management and climate change. Recent sampling using conventional methods and environmental DNA (sampling water to confirm presence of DNA from the species) now provide sufficient data to conclude that populations of this species may be declining and may become at greater risk of extinction if these threats are not managed effectively.
If a species is listed under SARA
If Silver Lamprey is added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as a species of Special Concern, it will not be subject to prohibitions under SARA; however, Fisheries and Oceans Canada will be required to produce a Management Plan for the species in an effort to ensure that it does not become endangered due to human activity. The Management Plan will include conservation measures for the species and set goals and objectives for maintaining sustainable population levels.
Related information
Contact us
Species at Risk Program,
Ontario and Prairie Region
867 Lakeshore Road
Burlington, Ontario, L7S 1A1
DFO.CASARAConsultations-CALEPConsultations.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca