Extinct Fish in Canada
Of the 13 species, subspecies and isolated populations of freshwater fish that have become extinct in Canada, all but two are also extinct globally.
Only paddlefish and gravel chub, although no longer in Canada, can still be found in the United States.
The extinct fish from western Canada were each endemic to only one lake. Many of the extinct Ontario fish species once inhabited the Great Lakes, including the population of Atlantic salmon which spent its entire life cycle in Lake Ontario.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Gone From |
|---|---|---|
| Paddlefish | Polyodon spathula | Ontario |
| Gravel Chub | Erimystax x-punctatus | Ontario |
| Banff Longnose Dace | Rhinichthys cataractae smithi | Alberta |
| Deepwater Cisco | Coregonus johannae | Ontario |
| Blackfin Cisco | Coregonus nigripinnis | Ontario |
| Shortnose Cisco | Coregonus reighardi | Ontario |
| Dragon Lake Whitefish | Coregonus (2 species) | British Columbia |
| Atlantic Salmon - Lake Ontario | Salmo salar pop. 2 | Ontario |
| Hadley Lake Limnetic Stickleback | Gasterosteus sp. 12 | British Columbia |
| Hadley Lake Benthic Stickleback | Gasterosteus sp. 13 | British Columbia |
| Blue Walleye | Sander vitreus glaucus | Ontario |
| Lake Ontario Kiyi | Coregonus kiyi orientalis | Ontario |
Provincial Losses of Fish Species
In addition to the national-level fish extinctions, Ontario and Quebec have each lost a species of fish. Both of these extirpated fish still survive in several other provinces.
| Common Name | Scientific Name | Gone From |
|---|---|---|
| American Shad | Alosa sapidissima | Ontario |
| Striped Bass | Morone saxatilis | Quebec |