Winter Skate (Leucoraja ocellata), Gulf of St. Lawrence: consultation, 2019

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• Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) population of Winter Skate

The Government of Canada is consulting with Canadians on whether the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) population of Winter Skate should be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as an endangered species. Please fill out the online survey by May 6, 2019.

Consultation: let your opinion be heard

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) supports Canada’s international commitments to conserve biological diversity by providing legal protection for wildlife species at risk. SARA acknowledges that all Canadians have a role to play in the conservation of wildlife species.

Before deciding whether GSL Winter Skate (Leucoraja ocellata) will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk under SARA, we would like your comments regarding the possible ecological, cultural and economic impacts of listing or not listing this species.

Adding a species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk

The first step in the process to determine if a species should be listed under SARA occurs when the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent committee of experts, assesses the status of a species based on the best available information, including scientific data, local ecological information and Indigenous knowledge. COSEWIC then assigns the species a designation based on its risk of disappearing in Canada (e.g., endangered, threatened, special concern).

Once assessed, the Government of Canada decides if the species will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk under SARA. Consultations with Indigenous Peoples, stakeholders and the general public are an important step in the process of gathering information on the potential positive and negative impacts of protecting a species under SARA.

Facts about Winter Skate

Reaching up to 100 cm in length, Winter Skate is a bottom-dwelling elasmobranch (group of fish that is made up of sharks, rays and skates). Winter Skate have a flattened body, large wing-like pectoral fins and a long slender tail (Figure 1). A rounded snout with thin cartilage, numerous small dark spots over its back, and 1 to 4 large pale (eye) spots located near the rear of each pectoral fin help to distinguish Winter Skate from other skates.

GSL Winter Skate is 1 of 3 designatable units (DUs) of this species in Atlantic Canada. Its range is restricted to the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) within Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Division 4T (Figure 2). GSL Winter Skate are usually found in waters that are <100 m in depth and occur in shallow waters in summer, at a median depth of 30 m.  Compared to Winter Skate in other areas, those in the sGSL mature at a much smaller size and earlier age.

Status designation of Winter Skate in Canadian waters

COSEWIC assessed GSL Winter Skate as endangered in May 2015. Under SARA, an endangered species is defined as one that is facing imminent extirpation (the species no longer exists in the wild in Canada) or extinction (the species no longer exists in the wild anywhere).

Why is Gulf of St. Lawrence Winter Skate assessed as endangered

Abundance of mature individuals in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence is at a historically low level, averaging 50,000 adults in a survey conducted between 2009 and 2013. Similar surveys completed from 1971 to 1975 averaged 3,160,000 adults. The cause of the decline of this population and its high risk of extinction is elevated natural mortality of adult skates. Predation by Grey Seals is thought to be the main cause of this high natural mortality.

What happens if Winter Skate is listed under Species at Risk Act

If Winter Skate is listed as endangered, the prohibitions of SARA would immediately come into effect in Canadian waters. It would be illegal to kill, harm, harass, capture, possess, buy, sell, or trade Winter Skate unless the associated activities can be allowed through permit, exemption or regulation. 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 Winter Skate – would be identified, to the extent possible, in a recovery strategy or action plan. Destruction of any part of its critical habitat would be prohibited under SARA.

How would listing under Species at Risk Act benefit Winter Skate

The prohibitions implemented under SARA would offer legal protection for the species in Canadian waters and would trigger recovery planning in collaboration with key partners. There may be increased funding for scientific research and public stewardship activities aimed at recovering the species.

How would listing Winter Skate impact fishing activities

Food, social and ceremonial (FSC) Fisheries

Bycatch FSC Fisheries may be allowed provided that they are compatible with the objectives outlined in the recovery strategy for the species.  SARA provides two mechanisms, permit or exemption^{Footnote 1}, to allow the continuity of these activities.

Commercial and Recreational Fisheries

There is no directed fishery for GSL Winter Skate.  Bycatch fisheries, if not negatively impacting the survival or recovery of Winter Skate, may however be exempted or permitted under SARA.  Winter Skate bycatch must be returned to the water in the manner that causes the least harm. Other fleet or fishery specific measures could also be implemented.

Your comments on the potential impacts of adding or not adding GSL Winter Skate as endangered to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk under SARA would be appreciated.

Related links

• COSEWIC assessment and Status Report (2015) [1.49 MB - PDF]
• Recovery Potential Assessment for Gulf of St. Lawrence Winter Skate (2016)

For more information

Species at Risk Program, DFO, Gulf Region
343 Université Avenue, P.O. Box 5030
Moncton, New Brunswick, E1C 9B6
Xglf-saralep@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Your comments are important.

Thank you for completing this survey.