The Canadian Committee for a Sustainable Eel Fishery (CCSEF) is applauding the government of Canada after it decided to avoid listing American eel (Anguilla rostrata) on the Species at Risk Act (SARA).
Canada's Species at Risk Act, established in 2002, serves a similar purpose to the U.S. Endangered Species List or listing under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The act was created to comply with CITES, and listing a species under the act requires the Canadian government to create a recovery plan for the species. More specifically, under the "general prohibitions" portion of the act, any species listed as threatened, endangered, or extirpated is illegal to kill or harvest.
The Canadian government said its Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has recognized Anguilla rostrata as an important species culturally and economically for Indigenous and other communities in Atlantic Canadian provinces and that the best science indicates listing under SARA may be a step too far as the country's Fisheries Act is adequate.
"American eel is important to many communities, including for Indigenous food, social, and ceremonial purposes. The government of Canada will continue to protect this species under the Fisheries Act while supporting sustainable fisheries in Atlantic Canada and Quebec." Canada Minister of Fisheries Joanne Thompson said.
DFO said it continues to remain committed to the species and will keep addressing threats to it "using an adaptive management approach" rather than listing it fully under SARA.
"DFO will continue implementing measures aimed at minimizing the negative effects of habitat alteration, improving the species' migration passages, increasing the sustainability of American eel fisheries (including the elver fishery), and enhancing the science and data on the species," DFO said.
CCSEF said the decision reflects the available science on American eel and that the current management of the species is sufficient for ensuring its sustainability.
"This decision reflects modern conservation thinking - using the right tools for the right species," CCSEF President Genna Carey said in a release. "With a strong Fisheries Act framework and commitment to law enforcement resources, Canada can safeguard the highly resilient eel population while supporting the many communities that depend on this fishery."
CCSEF said the species has traits that make it resilient, including high genetic diversity, broad range, and well-documented rescue efforts.
"When paired with DFO's long-term management plan - built on river-specific harvest controls, precautionary reference points, and improved monitoring and law enforcement - the species can be adequately protected without a SARA listing," CCSEF said.
DFO's decision comes days after Canada, along with dozens of other countries, opposed listing all eel species under Appendix II of CITES, a move which drew concern from CCSEF and the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA).
While the proposal to list all eel was rejected, a resolution - Resolution 87 - was adopted to strengthen bilateral cooperation on trade of eels.
Canada has had some issues with its fishery for elvers - or baby eels - and had to completely shut down the elver season for multiple years in a row. The DFO first shut down the fishery in April 2023 citing rampant smuggling and poaching and shut it down again in 2024 citing violence, harassment against fisheries officers, and multiple arrests.
The DFO proposed changes to the fishery in late 2024 but ultimately abandoned those changes in early 2025 after heavy opposition.