What the Act means to you

Given the sheer variety and geographic distribution of protected species, the Species at Risk Act has the potential to touch the lives of millions of Canadians—from commercial fishers and aquaculturalists to recreational fishers and even recreational boaters. If you own property on or near water—whether for a home, cottage, farm or business—your activities could have an impact on the habitat of a species at risk.

Many aquatic species are listed under the Act, including the Atlantic and Pacific blue whales, Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic Salmon and the leatherback turtle. Review the list of aquatic species currently protected under SARA.

Sharing the responsibility

Under SARA, Fisheries and Oceans Canada must produce recovery strategies and action plans for aquatic species listed as endangered or threatened. Once a species is added to the list and protected officially under SARA, a recovery strategy must be developed. For endangered species, this strategy must be developed within a year of the listing; for threatened or extirpated (extinct in Canada) species, it must be developed within two years.

These recovery strategies and action plans will detail the specific steps that need to be taken to protect identified species. We at Fisheries and Oceans Canada are determined to work as closely as possible with stakeholders—the people affected—to make sure that our strategies and plans are practical, effective, and in keeping with a sound fisheries management approach.

Learn more about our public consultations and how you can get involved.

From our perspective, there can be no success without the collaboration of everyone involved. The scope, scale and importance of this process demand a truly collective effort.