American Eel Not Listed Under SARA

Summary#

The Governor in Council decided not to add the American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) to the Species at Risk Act (SARA) List of Wildlife Species at Risk. The decision was registered on December 17, 2025 and means the eel will continue to be managed under the Fisheries Act rather than being listed under SARA.

What it does#

• Confirms the decision not to list the American Eel as a threatened species under SARA.
• Keeps management and protection of the species under the Fisheries Act, not SARA’s listing rules.
• Directs that a public statement of reasons be added to the SARA public registry explaining why the species was not listed.
• Means the SARA prohibitions and requirements that apply to listed species (for example, making it an offence to kill or harm the species, preparing a recovery strategy, and identifying critical habitat) will not be triggered for the American Eel.
• Signals reliance on measures already being used or planned by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to address threats and manage fisheries.

Who's affected#

• Commercial fishers:
  • More than 100 active commercial and Indigenous communal harvesters of adult (yellow and silver) eels.
  • 11 elver licence holders, including 3 Indigenous communal commercial licence holders active in 2023.
• Indigenous communities that use American Eel for food, social and ceremonial purposes.
• Aquaculture businesses that rely on sourcing eels.
• Fish processors and companies that handle, package, and ship elvers and adult eels.
• Hydroelectric operators, because changes in management can affect requirements for fish passage or mitigation at dams.
• The public and environmental groups interested in eel conservation. Consultations showed mixed views: 330 responses were received, with 95 supporting listing and 197 opposing it.
• Scientific and management bodies such as the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and DFO, which will continue to assess and manage the species.

Why it matters#

• Economic impact: the government says listing under SARA would likely force closures of directed commercial eel fisheries and elver fisheries and could cause an estimated industry loss of $12.7 million per year (about $1.1 million per year for adult eel fishers and $11.6 million per year for the elver fishery). Keeping the species under the Fisheries Act avoids those immediate costs.
• Conservation trade-off: not listing avoids SARA’s legal prohibitions and the formal recovery planning and habitat protection that come with a listing. Instead, the government plans to use fisheries management tools, habitat work and regulations (for example, recent rules on elver possession and export) to try to conserve the eel.
• Local effects: communities that depend on eel for food, culture or income will feel the practical consequences—either from potential stricter SARA rules or from changes in Fisheries Act management and industry decisions.
• Unclear outcomes: the decision leans on socio-economic considerations and ongoing Fisheries Act actions. It does not create the same statutory recovery obligations that listing would. The effectiveness of Fisheries Act measures in achieving long-term recovery is uncertain and will depend on future actions and monitoring.