Reporting on Introductions and Transfers

In 2024, Introductions and Transfers Committees received 1,457 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms across Canada. Of these, 1,287 applications were approved, representing more than 3.3 billion live aquatic organisms of over 1,100 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved applications, approximately:

• 80% were for movements within a province
• 13% were for movements between provinces
• 7% were for movements into Canada from another country

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications:

• 37% were aimed at aquaculture operations
• 18% were aimed at enhancement
• 17% were aimed at research
• 12% were aimed at processing
• 8% were aimed at public display or education
• 3% were aimed at cultural release
• 5% were for other purposes

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of approved applications, approximately:

• 32% were for marine molluscs
• 29% were for freshwater finfish
• 22% were for marine finfish
• 13% were for crustaceans, echinoderms and other invertebrates
• 4% were for various species

In 2024, Alberta’s Introductions and Transfers Committee received 37 applications to intentionally import live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. Of these, 37 were approved representing about 3,569,000 live aquatic organisms of 47 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. The Alberta Introductions and Transfers Committee does not review applications for movements of organisms within that province as risks for these movements are addressed by conditions of license under diverse provincial authorizations. Of the total number of approved applications in Alberta, approximately:

• 41% were for movements from another province
• 32% were for movements into Alberta from another country
• 27% were for movements within the province

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications in Alberta, approximately:

• 65% were aimed at enhancement
• 27% were aimed at research
• 8% were aimed at aquaculture

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of approved applications in Alberta, approximately:

• 24% were for freshwater finfish
• 3% were for marine finfish
• 73% were for various species

Most proposed movements were for Rainbow Trout.

In 2024, British Columbia’s Introductions and Transfers Committee received 494 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. Of these, 452 were approved, representing over 873 million live aquatic organisms of 870 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved applications in British Columbia, approximately:

• 89% were for movements within the province
• 9% were for movements into British Columbia from another country
• 2% were for movements from another province

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications in British Columbia:

• 28% were aimed at aquaculture
• 24% were aimed at research
• 20% were aimed at enhancement
• 9% were aimed at education
• 8% were for spiritual or cultural reasons
• 4% were aimed at public display
• 7% were for other purposes

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of approved applications in British Columbia, approximately:

• 33% were for marine finfish
• 30% were for freshwater finfish
• 27% were for crustaceans and echinoderms
• 9% were for marine molluscs
• 1% were for other invertebrates

Most proposed movements were for Rainbow Trout.

More information:

• Shellfish and finfish transfers to and from British Columbia aquaculture sites
• Managing transfers and fish health at British Columbia salmon farms

In 2024, Manitoba’s Introductions and Transfers Committee received 32 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. All applications were approved, representing approximately 2.4 million live aquatic organisms of 13 different species. These totals do not include fish that were moved as part of the provincial stocking program, which are considered routine, low risk movements that are not reviewed by the Committee.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved applications in Manitoba, approximately:

• 72% were for movements within the province
• 16% were for movements from another province
• 12% were for movements into Manitoba from another country

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications in Manitoba, approximately:

• 28% were aimed at public display
• 25% were aimed at research
• 19% were aimed at aquaculture
• 16% were aimed at enhancement
• 3% were aimed at education
• 9% were for other purposes

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of approved applications in Manitoba, approximately:

• 85% were for freshwater finfish
• 6% were for other invertebrates
• 6% were for crustaceans and echinoderms
• 3% were for marine finfish

Most proposed movements were for Lake Sturgeon.

In 2024, the New Brunswick Introductions and Transfers Committee received 143 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. Of these, 138 were approved, representing more than 59 million live aquatic organisms of 93 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved applications in New Brunswick, approximately:

• 88% were for movements within the province
• 12% were for movements from another province

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications in New Brunswick, approximately:

• 36% were aimed at enhancement
• 35% were aimed at aquaculture
• 20% were aimed at research
• 7% were aimed at public display
• 2% were aimed at education and other purposes

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of approved applications in New Brunswick, approximately:

• 76% were for freshwater finfish
• 15% were for marine finfish
• 2% were for marine molluscs
• 2% were for crustaceans and echinoderms
• 5% were for various species

Most proposed movements were for Atlantic Salmon.

In 2024, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Introductions and Transfers Committee received 142 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. Of these, 98 applications were approved, representing approximately 716 million live aquatic organisms of 58 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved applications in Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately:

• 70% were for movements within the province
• 28% were for movements from another province
• 2% were for movements into Newfoundland and Labrador from another country

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications in Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately:

• 83% were aimed at aquaculture
• 9% were aimed at public display
• 6% were aimed at enhancement
• 2% were aimed at education

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of approved applications in Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately:

• 62% were for marine finfish
• 20% were for marine molluscs
• 12% were for other invertebrates
• 3% were for crustaceans and echinoderms
• 3% were for freshwater finfish
  

Most proposed movements were for Atlantic Salmon.

In 2024, Nova Scotia’s Introductions and Transfers Committee received 196 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. Of these, 161 applications were approved, representing approximately 212 million live aquatic organisms of 51 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved applications in Nova Scotia, approximately:

• 57% were for movements within the province
• 32% were for movements from another province
• 11% were for movements into Nova Scotia from another country

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications in Nova Scotia, approximately:

• 63% were aimed at aquaculture
• 17% were aimed at research
• 8% were aimed at enhancement
• 7% were for education purposes
• 5% were for public display and other purposes

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of approved applications in Nova Scotia, approximately:

• 40% were for marine molluscs
• 27% were for freshwater finfish
• 25% were for marine finfish
• 2% were for crustaceans and echinoderms
• 6% were for various species

Most proposed movements were for American Oysters.

In 2024, Ontario’s Introductions and Transfers Committee received 1 application to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. As this application was not approved, no live aquatic organisms were moved. Fish that were moved as part of the provincial stocking program, which are considered routine, low risk movements, are not reviewed by the Committee.

Origin

No applications were approved.

Purpose

No applications were approved.

Types of aquatic organisms

No applications were approved.

In 2024, Prince Edward Island’s Introductions and Transfers Committee received 346 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. Of these, 304 applications were approved, representing over 1.4 billion live aquatic organisms of 8 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved applications in Prince Edward Island, approximately:

• 92% were for movements within the province
• 6% were for movements from another province
• 2% were for movements into Prince Edward Island from another country

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications in Prince Edward Island, approximately:

• 49% were aimed at processing
• 37% were aimed at aquaculture
• 6% were aimed at research
• 1% were aimed at enhancement
• 7% were aimed at public display and other purposes

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of approved applications in Prince Edward Island, approximately:

• 93% were for marine molluscs
• 5% were for marine finfish
• 2% were for freshwater finfish

Most proposed movements were for American Oysters.

Quebec has two Introductions and Transfers Committees: one for marine applications and the other for freshwater. The marine committee is chaired by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the freshwater committee is chaired by the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks.

Marine Introductions and Transfers

In 2024, Quebec’s Marine Introductions and Transfers Committee received 25 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities and fish bearing waters. Of these, 24 were approved, representing over 6 million live aquatic organisms of 9 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved marine applications in Quebec, approximately:

• 54% were for movements within the province
• 46% were for movements from another province

Purpose

Of the total number of approved marine applications in Quebec, approximately:

• 54% were aimed at research
• 33% were aimed at aquaculture
• 13% were for other purposes

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of approved marine applications in Quebec, approximately:

• 50% were for crustaceans and echinoderms
• 46% were for other invertebrates
• 4% were for marine finfish

Most proposed movements were for American Oysters.

Freshwater Introductions and Transfers

In 2024, Quebec’s Freshwater Introductions and Transfers Committee received 2 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities and fish bearing waters. Both applications were approved, representing over 125,000 live organisms of 2 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved freshwater applications, one was for the movement from another territory and the other was for a movement originating from another country.

Purpose

The approved applications for Quebec freshwater were for aquaculture purposes.

Types of aquatic organisms

The approved applications for Quebec freshwater were for the movements of Rainbow Trout and Arctic Char.

In 2024, Saskatchewan’s Introductions and Transfers Committee received 17 applications to intentionally import live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. All applications were approved, representing over 2.7 million live aquatic organisms of 3 different species. These totals do not include fish that were moved as part of the provincial stocking program, which are considered routine, low risk movements that are not reviewed by the Committee.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province, between provinces, and into Canada from another country. Of the total number of approved applications in Saskatchewan, approximately:

• 53% were for movements into Saskatchewan from another country
• 47% were for movements from another province

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications in Saskatchewan, approximately:

• 53% were aimed at aquaculture
• 41% were aimed at enhancement
• 6% were for other purposes

Types of aquatic organisms

Of the total number of applications approved in Saskatchewan, all were for freshwater finfish.

Most proposed movements were for Rainbow Trout.

In 2024, Yukon’s Introductions and Transfers Committee received 22 applications to intentionally move live aquatic organisms to fish rearing facilities or fish bearing waters. All of the applications were approved, representing 111,304 live aquatic organisms of 4 different species.

Origin

Introductions and transfers may occur within a province or territory, between provinces or territories, and into Canada from another country. All approved applications in Yukon were for movements within the territory.

Purpose

Of the total number of approved applications in Yukon, approximately:

• 91% were aimed at enhancement
• 9% were aimed at education

Types of aquatic organisms

All approved applications in Yukon were for freshwater finfish.

Most proposed movements were for Arctic Char.