Canada opens consultation on possible Atlantic salmon listings

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has opened a public consultation on whether 12 Atlantic salmon populations should be added to the federal Species at Risk Act list.

The populations under consideration include four in Québec: Anticosti Island, Gaspé–Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Inner St. Lawrence and Eastern and Western North Shore. Other populations are in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Feedback is being accepted from November 2, 2026, through January 29, 2027, using the Species at Risk Public Registry. The consultation is part of the federal assessment process; no listing decision has been made.

The department says it is seeking views from Indigenous peoples, fish harvesters, anglers, conservation organizations, communities and other interested Canadians.

Source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, release published November 5, 2026.

Featured image: historical illustration of landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar ouananiche); image published by the New York Public Library on Unsplash, under the Unsplash License. Cropped and resized.