Species at Risk Act annual report for 2018: chapter 5
5. Permits
The competent minister may enter into an agreement or issue a permit under section 73 of Species at Risk Act (SARA) for the following activities:
- scientific research related to the conservation of a listed species, conducted by qualified persons
- activities that benefit a listed species or enhance its chance of survival in the wild
- activities that incidentally affect a listed species
Under section 74, the Act states that an agreement, permit, licence, order or other similar document authorizing a person or organization to engage in an activity affecting a species at risk authorized by the competent minister under another Act of Parliament can have the same effect as an agreement or permit under section 73 of SARA if certain conditions are met, such as meeting the purposes and pre-conditions. These permits are considered, “SARA-compliant”. SARA compliant permits are issued under other federal Acts of Parliament, such as the Fisheries Act, the Canada National Parks Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 and the Canada Wildlife Act and can have the same effect as a SARA permit.
Table 7 shows the quantity of permits, agreements and licences issued or enabled under SARA in 2018.
| Competent department | SARA permits and agreements (under section 73 of the Act) | Licences and other documents that act as SARA permits (enabled under section 74 of the Act) | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environment and Climate Change Canada | 53 | 360 | 413 |
| Parks Canada | 25 | 8 | 33 |
| Fisheries and Oceans Canada | 153 | 1,361 | 1,514 |
| Total | 231 | 1,729 | 1,960 |
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Parks Canada Agency (PCA) and Department of Fisheries and Ocean (DFO) jointly issued a total of 1,960 SARA permits and SARA compliant permits in 2018.
ECCC issued 53 SARA section 73 permits to allow for activities affecting over 30 species, including reptiles, amphibians, birds, vascular plants, arthropods, molluscs and mammals. Seven permits were issued for activities carried out in the area affected by an emergency protection order. Of the 53 permits issued:
- 11 were for scientific research related to the conservation of a species
- 4 were for activities benefiting a species or required to enhance its chance of survival in the wild
- 32 were for activities incidentally affecting a species
- 6 were for more than one of these three purposes
ECCC also issued 360 SARA compliant permits affecting, or with the potential to affect, threatened and endangered migratory bird species under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 and the Canada Wildlife Act. Details regarding delivery of permits against ECCC service standards are available online.
PCA issued a total of 33 permits, some of which were SARA compliant permits issued under the Canada National Parks Act. Of the 33 permits issued:
- 15 permits, covering at least 11 listed species, were issued to academic and government researchers as well as PCA scientists, for conservation research affecting species at risk (e.g. inventory, population monitoring, habitat use and restoration, and conservation genetics)
- 2 permits were issued for an activity necessary or beneficial to two species
- 16 permits were issued for activities that may incidentally affect at least 12 listed species
PCA maintains an online research permitting system to enhance services to researchers, and to ensure that the agency is informed of research being conducted in the protected heritage places networks. The system incorporates a mandatory peer‐review mechanism that ensures that SARA requirements are considered for every research activity.
DFO issued a total of 196 permits, licences and authorizations in 2018: 153 SARA permits, 30 fishing licences for experimental, scientific, and educational purposes under section 52 of the Fishery (General) Regulations, 2 authorizations under section 38 of the Marine Mammal Regulations, and 11 authorizations under paragraph 35(2)(b) of the Fisheries Act that are SARA compliant permits. Of the 196 permits, licences and authorizations described above:
- 62 were for scientific research related to the conservation of an aquatic species
- 30 were for other activities that benefit the species or enhance its chance of survival in the wild (e.g. monitoring surveys or marine mammal rescue)
- 104 were for activities that incidentally affected the listed species (e.g. accidental capture while undertaking research on other non-listed species or fish or mussel relocation during construction activities)
In addition, 1,318 commercial fishing licences were issued containing provisions permitting incidental bycatch of White Sharks and Loggerhead Sea Turtles.
DFO also held a peer-review meeting regarding science advice to support the Jeopardy Assessment Framework for Permitting under the Species at Risk Act. That peer-review meeting aimed at assessing components of a proposed framework that builds upon and complements the Department’s existing approaches to assess allowable harm in order to assist the Department in making scientifically defensible decisions about the impacts of an activity to a listed aquatic species. The framework would support the development of future Recovery Potential Assessments.
Explanations for all SARA permits issued by ECCC, PCA and DFO are posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry.
Success story – Blanding’s Turtle permit inspection
Photo: Meghan Murrant, © CNL
To confirm compliance with conditions on an ECCC issued SARA permit for Blanding’s Turtle, a Wildlife Officer conducted a site inspection in July at a Chalk River research laboratory facility. The officer accompanied the facility’s environmental specialist and two of their co-op students to conduct a routine check of the turtle traps.
As part of the facility’s program to monitor all species found on their property for conservation purposes, they were issued a SARA permit to allow them to capture, mark and release Blanding’s Turtles to monitor their population. Some of the conditions on this permit are: the frequency of setting and checking traps; how to handle the turtles; how to record and log captures; and reporting requirements. The Wildlife Officer confirmed that the conditions of the permit were being met.
Case study: Action taken under SARA Section 73 Permit
In 2018, DFO’s Species at Risk Program in Pacific Region provided a SARA Sec. 73 permit to the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC (FFSBC) Kootenay Trout Hatchery for activities promoting the recovery of White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus, Upper Columbia River Population). These activities build on nearly two decades of work conducted by the Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative (UCWSRI), which has involved limiting sources of mortality, rebuilding abundance through hatchery supplementation, and investigating the causes of, and solutions to, recruitment failure.
Under their SARA permit, the FFSBC Learn 2 Fish program provides a three-part program that meets learning outcomes from the BC Education Grade 5 curriculum.
- FFSBC staff visit schools to deliver comprehensive in-class presentations to grade 5 classes.
- Staff provide teachers with an educational package containing dynamic hands-on activities for students.
- The school visits the Kootenay Trout Hatchery to learn about the conservation of White Sturgeon and its habitat, and to view live juvenile sturgeon at the public hatchery display.
In addition to these activities, FFSBC participates in annual juvenile release program events, at which school groups and members of the public are offered the opportunity to listen to presentations on White Sturgeon and assist in the release of juvenile individuals under the supervision of hatchery staff.
Supporting the delivery of educational programs contributes to awareness of species as risk such as White Sturgeon, in order to inspire children to steward these species and their habitat and promote species recovery into the future.