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Environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring methods have played a significant role in improving fisheries management decisions. Yet, their impact to date has been rather limited in Canada, where eDNA sampling and analyses are only beginning to be used to inform management and conservation decisions, practices, and policies. Studies investigating hurdles to the incorporation of eDNA evidence into fisheries management decisions generally focus on technical challenges (i.e., risks of false-positive and false-negative detections). We set out to identify challenges that eDNA researchers and conservation practitioners must overcome to fully unlock the benefits of eDNA sampling for fish management in the Canadian context. We discuss aspects of the broad and heterogeneous geography, preponderance of regions located far from densely populated areas, complex political landscape, and cultural diversity of Canada that may complicate the design of reliable eDNA monitoring tools or restrict their use if not adequately addressed. To advocate for the wider use of eDNA sampling, we outline a number of action items that would facilitate the broad adoption of eDNA sampling as a monitoring tool at the Canadian scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Identification of critical habitat is a key step in conservation and recovery of endangered and threatened freshwater fish. Critical habitat under Canadian and US legislation may include habitat that is not directly used by listed fish, provided it is necessary for species conservation or recovery. Riparian habitat meets biological criteria for critical habitat because riparian zones are integral to aquatic ecosystem functions of importance to many fish species and other organisms. These functions include provision of shade for temperature-sensitive species, control of channel complexity and sediment inputs through bank stabilization, input of large wood and allochthonous energy sources, and filtering of nutrients and toxins from adjacent land. In response to decades of stream-riparian research, widespread implementation of regulations to protect riparian zones in most developed countries represent a de facto consensus that riparian buffers are essential for aquatic ecosystem health and the maintenance of populations of fish and other species. Consistent with widespread riparian regulations deemed necessary to protect not-at-risk species, riparian habitat adjacent to a body of water containing a listed freshwater species should be considered biologically critical unless the habitat requirements of individual taxa are demonstrated to be insensitive to the ecological functions associated with riparian habitat. L’identification de l’habitat critique est une étape essentielle dans la conservation et la récupération des poissons d’eau douce menacés et en voie de disparation. Dans les législations canadienne et américaine, l’habitat critique peut inclure des milieux qui ne sont pas directement utilisés par les poissons concernés, à la condition qu’ils soient nécessaires pour la conservation ou la récupération de ces espèces. Les habitats riverains possèdent les critères biologiques d’habitats critiques parce que les zones riveraines sont nécessaires pour assurer des fonctions de l’écosystème aquatique d’importance pour plusieurs espèces de poissons et pour d’autres organismes. Ces fonctions incluent la production d’ombre pour les espèces sensibles à la température, le contrôle de la complexité du chenal et des apports de sédiments par la stabilisation des rives, l’apport de sources d’énergie allochtones et de débris ligneux de grande taille et la filtration des nutriments et des toxines provenant des terres adjacentes. À la suite de décennies de recherche sur la relation entre les cours d’eau et la zone riveraine, la mise en application très commune dans la plupart des pays développés de règlements pour protéger les zones riveraines représente un consensus de facto reconnaissant que les zones tampons riveraines sont essentielles à la santé des écosystèmes aquatiques et le maintien des populations de poissons et d’autres espèces. En accord avec les règlements largement répandus sur les zones riveraines jugées nécessaires pour la protection des espèces non vulnérables, tout habitat riverain adjacent à un milieu aquatique contenant une espèce d’eau douce figurant sur la liste des espèces en péril devrait être considéré comme biologiquement critique, à moins qu’on démontre que les besoins d’habitat de ce taxon particulier sont insensibles aux fonctions écologiques associées à l’habitat riverain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)