Canada's Species at Risk Act: An Opportunity to Protect Endangered Salmon

Canadian salmon are now eligible for protection under a federal Species at Risk Act proclaimed in June 2003 and fully implemented in June 2004. The act has four major steps dealing with species at risk of extinction: (1) an independent scientific committee assesses biological status and designates those at risk, (2) Federal Cabinet decides, following consideration of socioeconomic implications, which species to add to the legal list of species at risk, (3) legal protection, and (4) recovery planning and implementation. The committee has designated five distinct populations of salmon as endangered - one Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), one coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), two sockeye salmon (O. nerka), and one Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha). Only the Atlantic salmon is currently listed under the act; Cabinet decided not to list the two sockeye after considering socioeconomic implications and decisions on listing coho and Chinook are pending socioeconomic assessment. Both the Species at Risk Act in Canada and the Endangered Species Act in the United States use multiple criteria to assess the status of units that may be below the taxonomic species level. The Canadian act, in contrast to the act in the United States, mandates a non-governmental committee to assess status, separates biology from socioeconomics in the listing process, does not consider socioeconomic consequences when identifying critical habitat, and has specific timetables for the completion of recovery plans. Canadian salmon managers must now consider the effects of fisheries on salmon diversity, resulting in changes to the way fisheries are managed. The enactment of the act has introduced a new process for protecting salmon diversity in Canada, and its continued development and application will provide an interesting contrast to salmon conservation efforts in the United States.