Research Document - 2004/070

Review and status of north Labrador Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus

By Dempson, J. B., Shears, M., Furey, G.,
Bloom, M.

Abstract

Catch, effort, and biological characteristic data from the north Labrador anadromous Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) fishery are summarized along with a review of environmental conditions and various attributes associated with the ecology of Arctic charr in the north Labrador region. Catch- and weight-at-age data for each of the Voisey, Nain, and Okak stock complexes are updated to 2003, along with information on trends in age and weight. In addition, a revised summary of all tag return information is provided while a graphical overview of recent food and feeding results is presented for the Voisey and Nain stock complexes. Commercial landings of anadromous Arctic charr over the past 30 years (1974 - 2003) totaled 2748 tonnes, or approximately 6.1 million pounds. Of this total, 77% (2116) was harvested from three primary stock complexes (Voisey, Nain, and Okak) and illustrates the overall capacity of the north coast region to support charr fisheries. Major information gaps currently relate to a lack of specific abundance data on local stocks of charr and incomplete statistics associated with the amount of charr harvested on an annual basis in subsistence or food fisheries.

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