The draft Government…

The draft Government Response Statement to the Recovery Strategy for the American Eel in Ontario is needlessly wordy, and it commits to very few actions on behalf of eels in this province.

  The Government of Ontario needs to recognize the urgency of the eels' situation here, particularly in light of their life cycle, and the length of time eels take to mature in their freshwater habitats in Ontario.

  The Government of Ontario needs to act immediately to:

  1) enable eels to migrate into all parts of their historical range in Ontario;

 2) protect eels and their habitats throughout their historical range in Ontario; and

 3) enable eels to safely migrate out of Ontario to return to their breeding grounds in the Sargasso Sea.

  And in addressing #3, the Government of Ontario must recognize that what seems like high survivorship through a single set of hydroelectric turbines (e.g. 90% seems like a high proportion, doesn't it?) can result in a cumulative survivorship that is much lower after the eels have passed through multiple sets of hydroelectric turbines (e.g. 53% survivorship through 6 consecutive sets of turbines, with that 90% survivorship at each set).

  The Government of Ontario must commit to real actions leading to tangible results on behalf of American eels in Ontario --- now, before it is too late to save them.

[Original Comment ID: 211910]