Government of Canada calls for projects to protect and recover aquatic species at risk
OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- The health of Canada's aquatic environments and the wildlife within them support our culture and well-being, as well as economies across Canada. Our waters, rivers, lakes, estuaries, and marshes are homes to many aquatic species that are at risk and need our help to survive.
Today, the Minister of Fisheries, the Honourable Joanne Thompson, announced the Government of Canada is accepting project proposals under the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR). The Fund puts $77.5 million over five years, or $15.5 million a year, into projects that protect and rebuild aquatic species at risk across the country.
The call for proposals opens September 16, 2026, and closes on November 16, 2026.
In partnership with Indigenous communities and organizations, provinces and territories, industry and academia, the CNFASAR supports multi-year, multi-partner and multi-species stewardship projects that focus on specific areas or threats to advance recovery measures.
Through A Force of Nature: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature, the Government of Canada is helping to build a culture of conservation, which empowers Canadian organizations to join in collaborative efforts to conserve nature. Since 2018, the CNFASAR fund has funded over 150 projects for a total of over $120 million across Canada, enabling collaborations that recover aquatic species at risk and conserve Canada's biodiversity. These projects have helped implement 1210 recovery measures for almost 200 species.
Quotes
"Since 2018, the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk has helped our partners restore habitat and reduce threats for almost 200 species. That work is paying off, and our government is making sure it continues with $15.5 million a year for the next five years. Indigenous communities and local conservation groups are leading this work on the ground. Coastal communities depend on a healthy ocean. Their work helps keep it that way."
The Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries
"Protecting aquatic species at risk means protecting the waters and ecosystems that sustain life across Canada. The Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk supports the partnerships and conservation work needed to help recover these species and safeguard Canada's biodiversity. Through A Force of Nature, we are building on this work to deliver lasting results for nature and Canadians."
The Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State for Nature
Quick Facts
Projects in the following nine priority areas may be eligible for funding:
- Fraser and Columbia Watersheds (BC)
- Rocky Mountains' Eastern Slopes (AB)
- Southern Prairies (AB, SK, MB)
- Arctic (NU, NWT, YT, Arctic Ocean)
- Lower Great Lakes Watershed (ON)
- St. Lawrence Lowlands (QC)
- Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Rivers (NB, NS, PEI)
- Bay of Fundy and Southern Uplands Watersheds (NS, NB)
- Southern Newfoundland (NL)
Projects that target the following two priority marine threats may be eligible for funding:
- Fishing interactions such as entanglements and bycatch of aquatic species at risk;
- Physical and acoustic disturbance, including vessel collisions and marine noise.
Under this round of the CNFASAR, projects that will help to address recovery measures for aquatic species at risk in geographical areas outside of these priority places, or addressing other freshwater or marine threats, will also be eligible.
Associated Links
- Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk
- Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk – Priority Places and Threats
- Aquatic Species at Risk
- A Force of Nature: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature
Stay Connected
SOURCE Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada
For more information: Ira Khedkar, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, [email protected]; Media Relations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 613-990-7537, [email protected]
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