Information summary and survey for the consultations on adding Shortface Lanx to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk 2018

Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) provides legal protection for wildlife species at risk to conserve biological diversity. It also acknowledges that all Canadians have a role to play in the conservation of wildlife species.

Before deciding whether Shortface Lanx (Fisherola nuttalli) will be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk as Endangered, the Government of Canada would like to hear your opinion, comments, and suggestions regarding the possible ecological, cultural, and economic impacts of listing or not listing this species under SARA.

Figure 1: An adult Shortface Lanx. Photo: Dr. J. Gerber.

The process of listing a species under SARA consists of several steps: it begins with a status assessment by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and ends with a Government of Canada decision on whether or not to add a species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk (Schedule 1). Public consultations are conducted to gather the opinions of Canadians and are an important step in this process.

The Shortface Lanx is a small limpet-shaped freshwater snail whose known Canadian range is limited to a free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River, from approximately 14 km upstream to 6 km downstream of Trail, British Columbia.

Its shell is small, solid, roundly egg-shaped, slightly broader towards the back, high arched, has its apex towards the back and is finely striated in concentric circles.

Shortface Lanx lay transparent, gelatinous egg masses containing between one and 12 eggs on the lower side surfaces of rocks. Egg laying likely occurs from April to June. Individuals hatch not as larvae but as young snails and have a life span of about one year.

General threats to this species include: natural system modifications, aquatic invasive species (such as Didymo), and pollution from urban and industrial sources.

Figure 2: Distribution of Shortface Lanx in Canada.

COSEWIC is an independent committee of experts that assesses which wildlife species are in some danger of disappearing from Canada and assigns a status to these species. It conducts its assessments based on the best available information including scientific data, local ecological knowledge, and Aboriginal traditional knowledge. COSEWIC assessed Shortface Lanx as ‘Endangered’ in May 2016. Under SARA, an Endangered species is defined as one that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

COSEWIC assessed Shortface Lanx as ‘Endangered’ because the species is globally confined to a small range (the Columbia River basin), its habitat has been reduced over time, and it is exposed to a variety of threats.

Shortface Lanx requires flowing, clean, well-oxygenated, cold water, but numerous natural system modifications within its range have converted much of this habitat into slow moving, deep water that is not hospitable to the species.

Very little is known about this species, and it is therefore important to conduct scientific research to address knowledge gaps.

If Shortface Lanx is listed as Endangered, the prohibitions of SARA would immediately come into effect in Canadian waters. It would be illegal to kill, harm, harass, capture, take, possess, collect, buy, sell, or trade Shortface Lanx. However, activities that may affect the species or its critical habitat may be permitted under SARA section 73-74, or exempt under section 83, where that activity does not jeopardize the survival or recovery of the species. A recovery strategy and subsequent action plan(s) would be developed to identify measures to address known threats. Critical habitat – the habitat necessary for the survival and recovery of Shortface Lanx – would need to be identified, to the extent possible, in a recovery strategy or action plan and protected from destruction.

Before completing this survey, you may wish to review the following background information found at the links below:

• 2016 COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on Shortface Lanx

Other information can be found on the Species at Risk Public Registry.