Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) recognizes that the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) is culturally and spiritually important for many Indigenous communities in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and Ontario, and that it also supports valuable fisheries on the East Coast.
On December 2, 2025, the Government of Canada announced its decision not to list American eel under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The Government of Canada based its decision on scientific and socio-economic information, as well as comments received during consultations with Indigenous Peoples, provinces, partners, stakeholders and the Canadian public. Canada also put in place robust measures in advance of the 2025 elver season to ensure a sustainably managed fishery.
Under the Fisheries Act, the Government of Canada will continue to address threats posed to American eel using an adaptive management approach. This means that DFO will continuously modify its conservation and fisheries management measures as new science and Indigenous knowledge become available. This approach will most effectively conserve the species while also providing the greatest overall socio-economic benefits to Canadians.
DFO's adaptive management approach focuses on minimizing negative effects of habitat alteration and improving migration, improving scientific information and managing fisheries sustainably.
Stock status and threats
The American eel has one global population, extending from Greenland to northern South America. In Canada, American eel is found in all fresh waters, estuaries and marine waters that are connected to the Atlantic Ocean, spanning from Niagara Falls, Ontario to the mid-Labrador coast.
The American eel faces many global threats, including habitat alteration, dams and turbines, fishing, changes to ocean conditions related to climate change, contaminants, and parasites. Factors that can impact the survival of American eels are complex. These include barriers to migration, habitat degradation, and the cumulative impacts of climate change. Warming water temperatures, altered river flows, increased human-induced pressures and changing ocean conditions continue to affect the American eel's ability to complete its unique life cycle.
A 2024 national peer-review process coordinated by DFO's Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat found that while the population's abundance across Canada has declined since 1980, the population has remained relatively stable over the last two decades.
Progress to date
Over the past decade DFO has made significant progress towards conserving and protecting American eel through habitat restoration programs and targeted management measures.
Through the Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund, the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk, the Habitat Stewardship Program for Aquatic Species at Risk, the Aboriginal Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk, and the Indigenous Habitat Participation Program, numerous collaborative projects to minimize negative effects of habitat alteration and improving migration, such as:
- improved upstream recruitment and downstream survival through the addition or upgrade of dozens of eelways, fishways, and bypass channels;
- restored coastal and riverine habitats across the species' range, reconnecting hundreds of millions of square metres of habitat; and
- strengthened Indigenous leadership and monitoring by integrating Indigenous knowledge in eel recovery through tracking studies, fish counts, and compliance oversight at hydroelectric facilities.
Actions moving forward
DFO will continue to manage American eel fisheries using a balanced, adaptive, and evidence-based approach. Management decisions are based on the best available science, stakeholder perspectives, Indigenous knowledge, and the socioeconomic importance of fisheries. Moving forward, DFO will focus on the following measures to improve habitat and scientific data:
- reducing impediments to fish passage by strengthening compliance with the Fisheries Act;
- advancing restoration projects and planning for local watersheds; and,
- expanding data collection on eel abundance, distribution, migration, and mortality, to better understand the species.
To continue managing fisheries sustainably, DFO will:
- advance the implementation of a Precautionary Approach Framework to support the sustainable management of commercial and recreational American eel fisheries;
- apply fisheries management decisions that support conservation objectives, such as changes to season dates, river quotas and allowable gear; and,
- continue to enforce the regulations introduced in 2025 for the possession and export of elver (juvenile eel), which improve traceability and help deter unauthorized harvest.
The Department will continue to prioritize access to adult American eel for food, social and ceremonial purposes, recognizing that this access is guided by conservation requirements.
The Government of Canada remains committed to protecting aquatic species while supporting the cultures, communities and industries that depend on them. Consistent reporting, accountability, and shared stewardship, will support collective action and measurable progress to conserve American eel over the long-term.
