Government of Canada calls for projects to protect and recover aquatic species at risk

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.

Ottawa, Ontario - 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.