Consultations on adding Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk 2018

Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) provides legal protection for wildlife species at risk to conserve biological diversity. It also acknowledges that all Canadians have a role to play in the conservation of wildlife species.

Before deciding whether Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as Threatened, the Government of Canada would like to hear your opinion, comments, and suggestions regarding the possible ecological, cultural, and economic impacts of listing or not listing this species under SARA.

Figure 1: Little Quarry Lake Benthic (upper) and Limnetic (lower) Threespine Sticklebacks. The scale bar is 1 cm. Photo: E. Taylor.

The process of listing a species under SARA consists of several steps: it begins with a status assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and ends with a Government of Canada decision on whether or not to add a species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk (Schedule 1). Public consultations are conducted to gather the opinions of Canadians and are an important step in this process.

The Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks are small, robust-bodied freshwater fishes whose global range is restricted to one small lake, Little Quarry Lake, in coastal British Columbia.

Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks are one of three existing species pairs of Threespine Stickleback that live in sympatry (meaning they occupy the same general area but have become reproductively isolated through differences in behaviour and habitat preference). Threespine Stickleback species pairs are among the most extensively studied examples of ecological speciation in nature, giving insight into the processes that generate Canada’s biodiversity.

Benthic individuals eat mainly benthic invertebrates in the littoral zone (meaning near the shore) while limnetic individuals primarily feed on plankton in open water.

General threats to this species include: aquatic invasive species and scientific collection.

Figure 2: Maximum potential habitat area for adult Bocaccio. Note that the shaded area excludes enclosed waters and inlets, some of which have proven to be habitat for adult and young Bocaccio (source: COSEWIC 2002).

COSEWIC is an independent committee of experts that assesses which wildlife species are in some danger of disappearing from Canada and assigns a status to these species. It conducts its assessments based on the best available information including scientific data, local ecological knowledge, and Aboriginal traditional knowledge. COSEWIC assessed Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks as Threatened in November 2015. Under SARA, a Threatened species is defined as one that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

COSEWIC assessed Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks as ‘Threatened’ because the species is restricted to one small lake in British Columbia and is vulnerable to severe decline and hybridization following the introduction of aquatic invasive species.

If Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks are listed as Threatened, the prohibitions of SARA would immediately come into effect in Canadian waters. It would be illegal to kill, harm, harass, capture, take, possess, collect, buy, sell, or trade Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks. However, activities that may affect the species or its critical habitat may be permitted under SARA section 73-74, or exempt under section 83, where that activity does not jeopardize the survival or recovery of the species. 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 Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks – would need to be identified, to the extent possible, in a recovery strategy or action plan and protected from destruction.

Before completing this survey, you may wish to review the following background information found at the links below:

• 2015 COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on Little Quarry Lake Benthic and Limnetic Threespine Sticklebacks

Other information can be found on the Species at Risk Public Registry.