The role of science advice in recovery potential assessments in freshwater fish listing decisions under the Canadian Species at Risk Act
Fielding A. Montgomery,
Noelle Stratton,
Paul A. Bzonek,
Sara E. Campbell,
Rowshyra A. Castañeda,
Emily S. Chenery,
Kavishka Gallage,
Tej Heer,
Meagan M. Kindree,
Nicholas E. Mandrak
Affiliations
Fielding A. Montgomery
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Noelle Stratton
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Paul A. Bzonek
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Sara E. Campbell
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Rowshyra A. Castañeda
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada
Emily S. Chenery
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Kavishka Gallage
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Tej Heer
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Meagan M. Kindree
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Nicholas E. Mandrak
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Fishes assessed as Threatened or Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada are disproportionately less likely to be listed under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) compared to other taxa. We examined the extent to which the amount and type of science advice in a Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) contributes to SARA-listing decisions for 34 wildlife species of freshwater fishes in Canada. We used a generalized linear mixed model to describe SARA listing status as a function of RPA completeness. Principal coordinates analyses were conducted to assess similarity in answers to RPA questions among listed and nonlisted species. The amount and type of science advice within an RPA were weakly related to SARA status. RPA completeness accounted for only 7.4% of model variation when family was included as a random effect, likely because nine species not listed under SARA (64%) belong to the sturgeon family. Our results suggest that, while potentially useful for informing recovery strategies, RPAs do not appear to be driving listing status for freshwater fishes in Canada. Factors beyond scientific advice likely contribute to nonlisted species and delays in listing decisions.
