The ORA is writing in response to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) invitation to provide input into the upcoming CoP20 – Conference of the Parties of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The ORA strongly recommends listing the American Eel at Level 2 to ensure that international trade of the American Eel does not further threaten its survival in the wild.
It is of great concern that American Eels in the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes have declined by over 99 percent. The American Eel was already assessed when the Endangered Species Act took effect in 2008. Consequently, they are at risk of extinction in Ontario, and current trade practices and loose controls have further threatened the survival of the species.