Research Document 2020/052

Anadromous and Landlocked Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) Harvested near Paulatuk, Northwest Territories, 2003–2013

By Lea, E.V., Ruben, D., and Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee

Abstract

Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus), both anadromous (sea run) and landlocked, are an important traditional food source for residents of Paulatuk, a community within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories. Voluntary community-based harvest surveys were conducted monthly in Paulatuk, between 2003 and 2013, to enumerate fish and marine mammal subsistence harvest. These surveys build on historical subsistence, sport, and commercial fisheries records. Data from these surveys were examined with a focus on the seasonality and location of Arctic Char subsistence harvest. Total anadromous Arctic Char catches peaked in 1982 (5,456 fish) during the period when a commercial fishery operated (1968–1986). Subsistence harvest varied between 479 fish in 2008 and 1,793 fish in 2009, with an average of 1,228 fish over the time period (2003–2013). Summer (June–September) harvests were highest from the coastal area near the mouth of the Hornaday River, although there appeared to be a trend towards increasing harvests at the Lasard Creek area. Landlocked Arctic Char harvest occurred predominantly during spring (May and June); it was lower and more variable than anadromous Arctic Char harvest. Winter (October–December) fisheries primarily targeted anadromous Arctic Char in the upper Hornaday River. In 1998 the Paulatuk Char Working Group led the implementation of community-based management and monitoring measures that included a voluntary anadromous Arctic Char subsistence harvest level. These measures continue to support sustainable management of Arctic Char populations in the area.

Research Document 2020/052 (PDF, 868 KB)

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