List of Wildlife Species at Risk (referral back to COSEWIC) Order: SI/2019-13

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 153, Number 6

Registration

SI/2019-13 March 20, 2019

SPECIES AT RISK ACT

List of Wildlife Species at Risk (referral back to COSEWIC) Order

P.C. 2019-140 February 28, 2019

Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to subsections 27(1.1) and (1.2) of the Species at Risk Act ^{footnote a},

• (a) refers the assessment of the status of the Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) Atlantic population back to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) for further consideration; and
• (b) approves that the Minister of the Environment include in the public registry established under section 120 of that Act the statement that is attached as the annex to this Order and that sets out the reasons for the referral back to COSEWIC.

ANNEX

Statement Setting Out the Reasons for Referring the Assessment of the Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) Atlantic Population Back to COSEWIC

The Shortfin Mako Atlantic population was assessed by COSEWIC as a species of special concern under the Species at Risk Act in April 2017. The Shortfin Mako is a low-productivity species compared with other shark species, and has an estimated generation time of approximately 25 years. A recent assessment, in autumn 2017, by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas presents new information and analysis that strongly indicate that the status of the Shortfin Mako in Canada is considerably less positive than COSEWIC’s assessment. COSEWIC has advised that, due to the new information that was not available at the time of the initial assessment of the status of the Shortfin Mako Atlantic population, this status now needs to be reassessed. In light of the need for consideration of this new information, the assessment of this species is referred back to COSEWIC for further consideration.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order.)

Proposal

This Order refers the matter of the assessment of the Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) [Atlantic population], made by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), back to COSEWIC for further information or consideration, pursuant to paragraph 27(1.1) and (1.2) of the Species at Risk Act (the Act).

Objective

The objective of this Order is to refer the matter of the assessment of the Shortfin Mako (Atlantic population), back to COSEWIC for further consideration.

Background

The purposes of the Act are to prevent wildlife species from being extirpated or becoming extinct; to provide for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated, endangered, or threatened as a result of human activity; and to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened. COSEWIC is an independent scientific body. One of COSEWIC’s functions under the Act is to assess the status of each wildlife species it considers to be at risk and, as part of the assessment, identify existing and potential threats to the species and either

• (a) classify the species as extinct, extirpated, endangered threatened or of special concern;
• (b) indicate that it does not have sufficient information to classify the species; or
• (c) indicate that the species is not currently at risk.

COSEWIC must carry out its functions on the basis of the best available information on the biological status of the species, including scientific knowledge, community knowledge and aboriginal traditional knowledge.

When COSEWIC completes an assessment of the status of wildlife species in Canada, it provides a copy to the Minister of the Environment.

Implications

Under subsection 27(1.1) of the Species at Risk Act, within nine months after receiving an assessment of the status of a species by COSEWIC from the Minister of the Environment, the Governor in council (GIC) may review the COSEWIC assessment and, on the recommendation of the Minister of the Environment, may

• (a) accept the assessment and add the species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk (the List);
• (b) decide not to add the species to the List; or
• (c) refer the matter back to COSEWIC for further information or consideration.

For species that are not yet on the List, if the GIC has not taken one of these courses of action within nine months after receiving the assessment, the Minister of the Environment must, by order, amend the List in accordance with COSEWIC’s assessment.

Before making a recommendation to the GIC, the Minister of the Environment consulted the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans as the competent minister for the Shortfin Mako. By way of this Order, the Governor in Council is referring the assessment of the Shortfin Mako (Atlantic population) back to COSEWIC for further consideration.

The Minister of the Environment, in accordance with subsection 27(1.2) of SARA, will include a statement in the Species at Risk Public Registry setting out the reasons for the decision to refer the assessment of the Shortfin Mako (Atlantic population) back to COSEWIC. Those reasons are set out in the Annex to the Order and will be posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry.

When COSEWIC assessed the Shortfin Mako (Atlantic population) in 2017, it assigned a status of special concern to the species. The Chair of COSEWIC has since advised the Minister of the Environment that new information is available which strongly indicates that the status of the species is less optimistic that COSEWIC’s assessment. Thus, COSEWIC would like the opportunity to take this new information into account in their assessment of the species.

Departmental contact

Julie Stewart
Director
Species at Risk Program
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
200 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0E6
Email: SARA_LEP@dfo-mpo.gc.ca