BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Spirinchus thaleichthys
Longfin Smelt
| Scientific Name: | Spirinchus thaleichthys |
|---|---|
| English Name: | Longfin Smelt |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S3? |
| Date Status Assigned: | May 15, 2019 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | May 15, 2019 |
| Reasons: | Longfin Smelt is presumed to be spread along the coast, however this hasn't been confirmed. The largest known population is the Fraser River estuary. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | F = 20,000-200,000 square km |
| Range Extent Comments: | Approximately 57 000 km2 taken from Prince Rupert to the southwest corner of BC. |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | U = Unknown |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | BC = 6 - 80 |
| Comments: | McPhail (2007) states the BC distribution as along the entire coast in large river estuaries, however these have not all been surveyed or the presence documented. As of April 2019, there are 11 records in the provincial database and at least 5 of them are within the same waterbody (Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy ? Knowledge Management ND; accessed April 11, 2019) . Natureserve has 20-80 occurrences within Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington; an occurrence is considered to be the entire waterbody (NatureServe ND; accessed April 4, 2019). |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Population Size: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | BC = High - medium |
| Comments: |
The only known "major" run is the Fraser River (MacPhail 2007) which has had significant disturbance and will likely have more. The following is a paragraph describing potential threats for Alaska' populations, many of which will be relevent for BC's mid-coast. (from http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/species/speciesinfo/_aknhp/Longfin_smelt_final.pdf accsessed 24 October 2011): "Potential threats include habitat alteration, reproductive failure and effects of climate change. Freshwater and estuarine habitats may be threatened by pollution (nearshore chronic and acute pollution, including oil spills, wastewater effluent) and reduced fish passage due to diversion of water, although this is unlikely to impact Alaska populations as severely as those in California. Other habitat alteration and impacts to survival could result from dams, timber harvest, mining, and sedimentation (ADFG 2005). High interannual variability is suggested by saltwater trawl surveys; due to their short 2-year life cycle this species is sensitive to relatively brief periods of reproductive failure (USFWS 1994, ADFG 2005). Broad-scale climatic shifts affecting marine ecological conditions are also of potential concern, especially at northerly latitudes". |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Long-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | There have been significant declines in California, but these have not been recorded in BC. |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Environmental Specificity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Ramsay, L., L. Gelling |
| Date: | May 15, 2019 |
| References | |
| No references available | |
Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2019. Conservation Status Report: Spirinchus thaleichthys. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jan 24, 2025).