Canada opens SARA listing consultations on 12 Atlantic salmon populations

Fisheries and Oceans Canada opened public consultations on Nov. 5, 2026, on listing 12 Atlantic salmon populations under the Species at Risk Act. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said the step follows a reassessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Comments run from Nov. 2, 2026, through Jan. 29, 2027, on the Species at Risk Public Registry.

The populations span Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. They include Anticosti Island, Gaspé Peninsula, Inner St. Lawrence, Outer Bay of Fundy, both Nova Scotia Southern Upland units, both Quebec North Shore units, both South Newfoundland units, Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cape Breton, and Southern Labrador.

A SARA listing would trigger legal protections and recovery planning tied to each population's risk status. DFO is asking Indigenous Peoples, recreational fishery groups, communities and other stakeholders for feedback, including socio-economic effects, before listing recommendations go forward. Atlantic salmon remain a cultural and recreational cornerstone in Atlantic Canada and Quebec even as many stocks stay under pressure.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada — Government of Canada consults Canadians on Atlantic salmon (Nov. 5, 2026).