The best source of information on Whimbrel in Canada is migration monitoring by the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM). Although the precision of PRISM estimates is high, it may be based on only a small proportion of the population, so the reliability is considered low. PRISM data indicate a large, long-term decline since the early 1970s, with the steepest declines in the late 1980s and 2000s. The population is currently 78% lower than in the 1970s. Future assessments will be improved when new results from the Arctic Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (Arctic PRISM) become available.

The goal for Whimbrel is to increase the population to the level it was at in the early 1980s, based on migration monitoring by the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring. Whimbrel is far below its goal range and its population decline is ongoing. The trend will need to stabilize before the population can begin to rebound, and it is not realistic for the goal to be met by 2050. Based on analysis of the historical population loss and potential growth rates, the interim target is to reach 30% of the goal by that year. Achieving this target, and ultimately reaching the national goal for this species, will require ambitious and long-term conservation action.