9.9 Making Connections

ECONOMIC INTERESTS VERSUS PROTECTING A SPECIES

Background: COSEWIC, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, was established in 1977 to identify species at risk of extinction using a sound, scientific approach (www.cosewic.gc.ca). Twenty-five years later, the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA) was passed in 2002 as part of Canada’s commitment to meet its obligations under the International Convention on Biological Diversity. SARA’s aim is to protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats in Canada. In 2003, COSEWIC was designated as the body that would identify and assess species status under SARA.

Although this sounds good, SARA implementation has been criticized since its inception. The problem lies with how species get final approval for inclusion on the list of species at risk. While COSEWIC, a group of scientists and wildlife experts, makes recommendations for “at-risk” designation based on scientific study, all recommended species must be approved by a panel of elected government officials under the guidance of the Minister of the Environment. Species that are approved get added to Schedule 1, which gives the species and their habitat protection, and they become subject to a federal management plan. Many species have remained under nearly perpetual “consideration” by the Minister due to conflicting influences, often economic interests. This is particularly true in the case of the Atlantic Cod, once a major source of income.

Despite the listing of Atlantic Cod as endangered by the World Wildlife Fund and the collapse of the Canadian Cod fishery, Atlantic Cod remains of indeterminate status under SARA.

Case: You are a COSEWIC member who must reassess the status of Atlantic Cod in Canada. Write a brief history of the Cod evaluation process thus far, and make a recommendation for their status now. Research the following problems in your argument:

1. How often has Atlantic Cod been recommended for protection under SARA, and what status has been approved to date?
2. How much consideration should be given to habitat protection given the existence of other fisheries in the same area?
3. Do we know enough about the different Cod populations worldwide to be able to make a sound decision?
4. What are the implications of not protecting a species on the grounds of public welfare or economic stability?

Be sure to support your recommendation with specific facts about Cod populations and habitat and the economic value of the Cod fishery. Note whether you agree or disagree with the current SARA status of Cod in Canada.