Research Document - 2010/077

Information in support of an Exploratory Fishery Protocol - Nunavut and Northwest Territories Anadromous Arctic Charr

By M. VanGerwen-Toyne and R. Tallman

Abstract

A data collection protocol for assessing anadromous Arctic Charr, Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus), exploratory fisheries in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories was established in 1973 and last reviewed in 2003. In light of the New Emerging Fisheries Policy and the increasing interest in the development of commercial fisheries, especially in Nunavut, this protocol again required review.

The 2009 protocol set a provisional quota for five years and requested that the licence holder record catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) and harvest data each year. Biological data from a sub-sample of the Charr caught was also requested from the licence holder, but only in years one and five under an exploratory licence. Guidance was also provided regarding selection of fish used for biological processing and treatment of bycatch species.

A review of the 2009 protocol led to the following recommendations:

• All provisional quotas should be fished fully for a minimum of five years.
• Biological, CPUE, and total harvest data should be collected every year for a minimum of five years before stocks are assessed and recommendations are made about the biological viability of a commercial fishery.
• Biological sampling should include individual fork length, round weight, sex, and sagittal otoliths for a minimum of 200 anadromous Arctic Charr.
• Fish selected for biological processing should be done so in a stratified manner (e.g. every third fish) throughout the duration of the fishery.
• Bycatch species should be identified, counted, and released. Fish that are unlikely to survive after release should be sampled for biological data (fork length, round weight, sex, and ageing structure, as appropriate).

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