Critical Habitat Protected for Northern Wolffish

Summary#

The federal government made the Critical Habitat of the Northern Wolffish (Anarhichas denticulatus) Order (SOR/2020-185) to apply protections under the Species at Risk Act to areas identified as the wolffish’s critical habitat. The Order was registered on August 28, 2020 and published in the Canada Gazette on September 16, 2020.

What it does#

• Applies the prohibition in the Species at Risk Act against destroying any part of the Northern wolffish’s critical habitat as identified in the species’ recovery strategy posted to the Species at Risk Public Registry.
• Covers the critical habitat areas mapped in the amended recovery strategy (maps and boundaries are in that recovery strategy).
• Means activities that would destroy critical habitat are prohibited unless a specific permit or authorization is granted under SARA or by an equivalent Fisheries Act authorization.
• The Order came into force on the day it was registered (that is, August 28, 2020).
• The recovery strategy that identified the habitat was posted on February 27, 2020, and SARA generally requires critical habitat to be legally protected within 180 days after posting.

Who's affected#

• Fishers and fishing companies operating in the waters where critical habitat is mapped (areas shown in the recovery strategy, including parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off Newfoundland and Labrador).
• Any marine or coastal project proponents (for example, offshore development, dredging, or construction) planning work in those mapped areas.
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which administers the orders and any related permits or authorizations.
• Indigenous governments and wildlife bodies that were consulted about the recovery strategy, including the Nunatsiavut Government, the Torngat Joint Fisheries Board, the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board, and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board.
• If you need to know whether a specific plot of water or activity falls inside the legally protected area, check the maps on the Species at Risk Public Registry or contact Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Why it matters#

• The Order gives the species’ mapped habitat an extra, specific legal layer of protection. That helps efforts to recover the threatened Northern wolffish by reducing habitat loss or damage.
• People and companies proposing work in the protected areas may need to change plans, avoid certain spots, or apply for permits/authorizations that include conditions to protect the species.
• Penalties exist under SARA for offences related to protected species and their habitat. For example, fines can be up to $300,000 (summary conviction) or $1,000,000 (indictable) for corporations, with lower caps for others ($50,000 and $250,000 appear in the legislation for different offender types).
• Officials say the Order is not expected to create significant new economic costs, because federal habitat safeguards already apply in various ways (for example under the Fisheries Act), but it does formalize legal protection specific to the wolffish critical habitat.