Terms of Reference

Stock status and sustainable harvest levels for Arctic Char in Ikaluit Lake (Robert Peel Inlet), Cumberland Sound Area, Nunavut

Regional Peer Review – Central and Arctic Region

June 24-25, 2014
Iqaluit, Nunavut

Chairperson: Ross Tallman

Context

Ikaluit Lake (Robert Peel Inlet) is one of several waterbodies in the Cumberland Sound area that is presently fished for Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpines) under a stage II exploratory fishing licence. From 1977– 1985, it was fished under an exploratory licence. In 1990, the lake was licenced as a commercial waterbody with a quota of 1,400 kg and was fished under the commercial licence until 2000. In 2000, the commercial fishery on Ikaluit Lake was closed at the request of the Pangnirtung Hunters and Trappers Association (HTA). The Pangnirtung HTA had concerns about potential negative effects of harvest on the stock and they requested that Ikaluit Lake be closed to commercial fishing for five (5) years. Ikaluit Lake was reopened in 2006 at the request of the Pangnirtung HTA under an exploratory licence with a quota of 1,000 kg. Ikaluit Lake is fished for subsistence by both the communities of Pangnirtung and Iqaluit although there is no record of current subsistence harvest levels for this stock.

The objective of fishing under a stage II exploratory licence is to determine whether a population can sustain a commercially viable operation. An analysis of biological (age, length and weights), and catch and effort data allows Science to assess the status of an Arctic Char population’s vulnerability to exploitation at current harvest levels, and advise on sustainability of the harvest. Biological and catch and effort data are requested as a licence condition for exploratory fisheries following the five-year exploratory fishery protocol. For some waterbodies, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science’s stock assessment research program also collect similar data through fishery-independent sampling as is the case for the Ikaluit Lake system.

DFO’s Resource Management (RM) program has requested that DFO Science provide an update on the stock status, abundance and sustainable harvest level for multiple Arctic Char stocks in Cumberland Sound, including Ikaluit Lake.

Objectives

The following objectives will be addressed:

• Assess and report on the current stock status of Ikaluit Lake (Robert Peel Inlet) Arctic Char, including a review of all new information.
• Provide an abundance estimate for the population.
• Provide an estimate of sustainable harvest level for the population.
• Highlight sources of uncertainty in the assessment.
• Develop a monitoring plan to assess the long-term sustainability of the fishery (e.g., identify information needs, timeframes, and monitoring protocols).

Expected Publications

• Science Advisory Report
• Proceedings
• Research Document

Participation

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) (Science, and Fisheries Management)
• Government of Nunavut, Department of Environment, Fisheries and Sealing
• Pangnirtung Hunters and Trappers Association
• Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association
• Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
• University of Manitoba, University of Laval and University of Calgary
• Other invited experts