By Ian Marshall
Picture a golf club next to a 35-foot boat. That’s the size difference between two unlikely shark cousins who live off southwest Nova Scotia.
Being cousins isn’t the only thing these sharks have in common – both are being considered for listing under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is looking to you, the public, for input.
The basking shark, which is the second largest shark in the world, reaches lengths of over 10 metres. These massive sharks got their name due to their tendency to feed at the surface of the water during the summer months. Surprisingly, this large animal feeds on tiny plankton.
The second shark is called the spiny dogfish, which is also part of the shark family but is much smaller. Averaging between 50-105 centimetres in length, this species is an opportunistic predator that feeds on many different kinds of prey, but its favorite is shrimp, which it swallows in two bites.
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has designated both species as falling into the category of special concern. This designation means these species are particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events, but are not considered to be threatened or endangered.
Interaction with fishing gear and boat collisions are identified threats to basking sharks. The spiny dogfish’s designation is in part due to its late age of maturity and low number of young, which makes population growth slow and vulnerable to human activities such as fishing.
Once an aquatic species is assessed by COSEWIC, Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Species at Risk Management Division starts a consultation process to determine whether it should be listed under the Species at Risk Act. Listing these species as ‘special concern’ would lead to new measures to ensure their conservation. The consultation process allows the public to provide valuable input to the listing decision.
If you believe the potential listing of a species under SARA will impact your industry or community, you are encouraged to communicate your point of view to DFO. When you participate in the process, you help shape the listing recommendation, and ultimately whether or not the species will be given additional protection under the Species at Risk Act.
DFO has prepared a summary that provides information on the state of the Basking Shark and Spiny Dogfish for your review. To receive a copy or to make comments, contact DFO in the Maritimes Region, email: xmarsara@dfo-mpo.gc.ca; call 1-866-891-0771 or visit the SARA Public Registry www.sararegistry.gc.ca.
Consultations are open until Jan. 31. All comments will be collected and considered in the final recommendation.
No matter the size of a species, from 10 meters long to less than one meter each listing decision is important. We want your views.
