Research Document 2023/014

Fish and Marine Mammals Harvested near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, with a focus on Anadromous Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus)

By Lea, E.V., Olokhaktomiut Hunters and Trappers Committee, and Harwood, L.A.

Abstract

Fish and marine mammals are an important traditional subsistence and cultural resource for residents of Ulukhaktok, a community within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories. Community-based harvest surveys were conducted monthly out of Ulukhaktok, between 2004 and 2015, to enumerate fish and marine mammal subsistence harvest. Anadromous Arctic Char (annual average: 3,464 fish), Lake Trout (annual average: 2,114 fish), and Ringed Seals (annual average: 256 seals) continue to be the most abundantly harvested fish and marine mammal species 2004–2015, with landlocked Arctic Char (annual average: 203 fish), whitefish (annual average: 74 fish), cod (annual average: 136 fish), and Bearded Seals (annual average: 8) also reported. Accessibility to harvesting areas and availability of fish and marine mammals were strongly linked to seasonal cycles. Following concerns regarding the population status of Kuujjua River (i.e., Tatik Lake) Arctic Char, and to support the sustainable management of all Arctic Char subsistence and commercial fisheries in the area, the Ulukhaktok Char Working Group (UCWG) was established in 1996. The UCWG implemented a community fishing plan with voluntary management measures and fishery guidelines supported by harvest data provided by monitoring programs. In response to the observed decline in stock status, the UCWG established a voluntary subsistence harvest level of 1,000 fish from Tatik Lake which has not been surpassed in recent years (2003–2015); however, the total number of Kuujjua River Arctic Char harvested is unknown due to the uncertainty regarding contributions to the coastal mixed-stock harvest. Total annual harvest of anadromous Arctic Char from respective management zones 1988–2015 varied as follows: a) between 486 and 6,297 fish in coastal waters; b) between 0 (voluntary community closure) and 4,386 fish from the Kuujjua River; and c) between 0 and 5,502 fish from rivers in Prince Albert Sound. Co-management partners consider all available information collected through harvest surveys, monitoring programs, Indigenous Knowledge and observations, and scientific research to support the adaptive co-management of these important fish and marine mammal species in a changing climate.

Research Document 2023/014 (PDF, 1,034 KB)

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