(DRAFT) - Taxonomy
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
TAXONOMY
NAME - char, Arctic
OTHER COMMON NAMES - Arctic salmon, Arctic charr, Sea trout, Hearne's salmon, Hudson Bay salmon, European char, Blueback trout, Greenland Char, Quebec red trout, Ekaluk (eqaluk), Ilkalupik and Fr. Omble chevalier
ELEMENT CODE -
CATEGORY - Fish
PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - ,
CLASS AND SUBCLASS - Osteichthyes,
ORDER AND SUBORDER - Salmoniformes,
FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - Salmonidae,
GENUS AND SUBGENUS - Salvelinus,
SPECIES AND SSP - alpinus,
SCIENTIFIC NAME - Salvelinus alpinus
AUTHORITY - Linnaeus, 1758
TAXONOMY REFERENCES - 258 and 231
COMMENTS ON TAXONOMY -
The systematics of Arctic char are complex. The form generally referred to
as Salvelinus alpinus ranges throughout the arctic region of the world
exhibiting tremendous variation in characters, ecology, growth rates, and
other biological features. Like other salmonids its life-style and general
biology are markedly altered by the environment in which it lives. This
additional variable added to the genetic complexity increases the complexity
and our confusion. To emphasize the lack of understanding of the fishes
embraced by the name Salvelinus alpinus, some authors refer to the Arctic
char as the Salvelinus alpinus complex. McPhail (1961) has provided a very
complete overview of the problem, especially of western Canadian Arctic
char. Many additional field studies of Arctic char have been conducted in
arctic Canada and in Alaska within the last 10 yr., making more information
available. Eastern and western forms of Arctic char appear to be separable
but we cannot say at what level. The description of subspecies at this
stage of our knowledge seems inappropriate *258*.
Taxonomy - 1 (DRAFT) - Status
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
STATUS
Coded Status
Migrant
Subsistence
Commercial/consumption
See Comments
REFERENCES FOR STATUS - 258
COMMENTS ON STATUS -
The Arctic char is an anadromous species that runs to sea after several
years of early life in rivers or lakes, returning to fresh water in autumn
*258*.
For hundreds of years Arctic char have been a major food source for native
peoples of northern Canada. Coastal Eskimos caught char for food for
themselves and their dogs. The fish were trapped, netted, or speared in
rivers and estuaries and eaten fresh, smoked, dried, or salted. Arctic char
have been also a source of inspiration for Eskimo artists who have carved
and painted char likenesses in marine mammal ivory and soapstone *258*.
During the days of subsistence fishing, char populations remained more or
less stable. In the 1950s and 1960s commercial and sport fisheries for char
were intensified in Baffin Island, Labrador, and other Canadian locations.
In many cases, the char populations were quickly decimated with disastrous
results *258*.
Labrador has excellent Arctic char stocks, many of which support fisheries
of considerable importance to the local economy. The history of the early
fishery for char and its relationship with cod, seal, and salmon fisheries
of northern Labrador has been discussed in detail. A fishery existed as
early as 1860 and has been pursued ever since with increasing pressure in
recent years. An average annual production for char in northern Labrador has
been given of about 139 t for the period 1954-72. Over 50 percent of char in
1972 weighed 0.9-2.3 kg, a smaller percentage weighed 2.3-4.5 kg, and a few
weighed over 4.5 kg. The total annual yield of char from the Newfoundland
fishery in 1978 and 1979 was in excess of 227 t with a value of
approximately $180,800 per year. Many stocks are now under quota management.
Char are usually caught in gill nets during July to September, in the sea or
estuaries. They may be caught with nets or hooks through the ice in winter
for local consumption *258*.
Arctic char are currently being cultured in fresh and salt water with
encouraging results *258*.
Flesh color varies from white to amber to orange-red, depending in part on
diet. Reddish flesh commands the highest price. Char were salted and
stored in barrels in the early years and white-fleshed char were dried for
local consumpton. Currently Arctic char is sold fresh or frozen and has
become a gourment item. It can usually be purchased in major population
centers in Canada and the United States *258*.
Status - 1 (DRAFT) - Distribution
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
DISTRIBUTION
Distribution - 1 HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS
HABITAT - MARINE
AQUATIC
REFERENCES FOR HABITAT - 258
LAND USE -
Water
Streams and Canals
Lakes
Bays and Estuaries
REFERENCES FOR LAND USE - 258
NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY CODES
NWI NWICLS NWIMOD NWISPEC
Riverine, lower perennial
REFERENCES FOR NWI - 258
COMMENTS ON HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS -
The Arctic char is an anadromous species that runs to sea after several
years of early life in rivers or lakes, returning to freshwater in autumn.
The first downstream movement to the sea usually occurs during spring or
early summer when the young are about 15.2 cm long and 5-7 yr old.
Thereafter, anadromous char move downstream to the sea every year, except
during the year they will spawn. Adults and young downstream migrants
remain in the vicinity of the estuary and are not usually caught more than
few miles from the river of origin, although tagged char have been
recaptured up to 160 km from the river of origin. Sea-run char may
commence downstream movement from lakes before or during breakup, the
slower ones reaching sea in July. The return to brackish estuaries and
fresh water begins in late July and continues through August, the date
depending on latitude. Fish that will spawn during the current year do not
usually migrate that year although some may drop down into brackish waters
of estuaries. There is no evidence that any char remain in sea water
during winter. Upstream movement is stopped by low obstructions, for
Arctic char do not leap like Atlantic salmon and depend on elevated water
levels during high tide to surmount obstacles. Falls of 1.5-1.8 m are
enough to block upstream movement *258*.
ANIMAL/PLANT SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS -
Seals
Loons
Terns
Protozoan - 1 species
Monogenean - 1 species
Trematodes - 8 species
Cestodes - 10 species
Nematodes - 11 species
Acanthocephalans - 3 species
Copepods - 3 species
Roundworms (Philonema sp.)
Tapeworms (Eubothrium salveline)
REFERENCES FOR SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS - 258
Habitat Associations - 1 COMMENTS ON SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS -
Predation and Competition: Arctic char have few natural enemies except
seals, which occasionally eat large char, and loons and terns, which
sometimes catch small specimens. Char may also resort to cannibalism but
the effect on stocks is insignificant. Man is also a natural predator,
Eskimo and Indian peoples of northern Canada having depended on Arctic char
as a seasonal food for centuries *258*.
Parasites and disease: The Arctic char is host to a number of parasites as
are other Canadian salmonids. 37 species of parasites was listed in the
following categories: protozoan (1), monogenean (1), trematodes (8),
cestodes (10), nematodes (11), acanthocephalans (3), and copepods (3). In a
detailed study of char in northern Labrador (Adlatok to Ramah), a study
found roundworms (Philonema sp.) in the body cavity and immature stages in
the viscera, and considered the degree of infestation of various populations
to be light. They also observed tapeworms (Eubothrium salveline) in the
intestinal tract, chiefly in the duodenum and pyloric caeca but also in the
lower intestine, and considered the degree of infestation to be heavy *258*.
Habitat Associations - 2 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
FOOD HABITS
TROPHIC LEVEL -
CARNIVORE
REFERENCES FOR TROPHIC LEVEL - 258
LIFESTAGE FOOD FOOD PART
General Animals Not Specified
General Invertebrate Cordates Not Specified
General Osteichthyes Not Specified
General Crustaceans Not Specified
General Copepods Not Specified
General Perciformes Not Specified
General Gadiformes Not Specified
General Salmoniformes Not Specified
General Molluscs Not Specified
General Insects Not Specified
General Gasterosteiformes Not Specified
General See Comments; Food See Comments
Important Crustaceans Not Specified
Important Copepods Not Specified
Important Osteichthyes Not Specified
Important Perciformes Not Specified
REFERENCES FOR GENERAL FOOD - 258
COMMENTS ON FOOD -
Arctic char are carnivorous and consume a great variety of marine and
freshwater organisms. When at sea they feed heavily and grow rapidly.
Thirty-four species of invertebrates and fishes were identified from the
stomachs of about 490 char caught in Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island, Herschel
Island, NWT, and Ungava. In a more recent food study of Arctic char from
the Baffin Island Region, the study emphasized the importance of amphipods,
copepods, and fishes in the diet. Among the marine fishes eaten are cottids
(Myoxocephalus groenlandicus, Triglops pingeli), Arctic cod (Boreogadus
saida), sand lance (Ammodytes spp.), snailfishes (liparis spp.), and
occasionally smaller Arctic char. It has been noted that although char ate
a variety of organisms they did not eat the abundant jellyfishes and related
forms (coelenterates), snails (gastropods), or polychaete worms. A study
suggests that char are highly selective feeders when at sea, and feed
predominantly on amphipods *258*.
Capelin (Mallotus villsus), sand lance (Ammodytes spp.), mailed sculpin
(Triglops pingeli), amphipods (especially Themisto libellula), and
euphausiids (Meganyctiphanes norvegica) were the main food items consumed in
marine and brackish waters in Northern Labrador. Capelin dominated the diet
in three localities, amphipods and euphausiids in two, and sculpins in one.
Sand lances were also the most important food item in a Hudson Bay study
*258*.
Freshwater and landlocked populations of Arctic char consume a wide variety
Food Habits - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
of freshwater organisms, including molluscs, aquatic insects, and fishes
such as brook trout, rainbow smelt, and sticklebacks *258*.
Food Habits - 2 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G = General A = Adult
LIM = Limiting RA = Resting Adult
J = Juvenile FA = Feeding Adult
RJ = Resting Juvenile BA = Breeding Adult
FJ = Feeding Juvenile P = Pupae
L = Larvae E = Egg
RL = Resting Larvae
FL = Feeding Larvae
LIFESTAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
BA Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Gravel
BA Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Specified in Comments
BA Aquatic Features: Pool areas
BA Aquatic Features: Specified in Comments
BA Water Depth Preference: 1-5 ft.
BA Water Depth Preference: Specified in Comments
BA Water Temperature: Below 15 degrees C
BA Water Temperature: Specified in Comments
E Water Temperature: Below 15 degrees C
E Water Temperature: Specified in Comments
LIM Water Temperature: Specified in Comments
A Estuarine habitat zone: specified in comments
J Estuarine habitat zone: specified in comments
G Elevation: Specified in Comments
E Bottom Type [Aquatic]: Gravel
BA Water Depth Preference: 5-10 ft.
BA Water Depth Preference: 10-25 ft.
REFERENCES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 258
REFERENCES FOR LIMITING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 258
REFERENCES FOR ADULT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 258
REFERENCES FOR BREEDING ADULT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 258
REFERENCES FOR JUVENILE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 258
REFERENCES FOR EGG ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 258
COMMENTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS -
The Arctic char is an anadroumous species that runs to sea after several
years of early life in rivers or lakes, returning to fresh water in autumn.
Sea run char may commence downstream movement from lakes before or during
breakup, the slower ones reaching sea in July. The return to brackish
estuaries and fresh water begins in late July and continues through August,
the date depending on latitude. Fish that will spawn during the current
year do not usually migrate that year although some may drop down into
brackish waters of estuaries *258*.
Environment Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
COMMENTS ON LIMITING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
Eggs develop over winter, buried in gravel, at temperatures of 0.0-2.2oC
and are killed by temperatures above 7.8oC *258*.
COMMENTS ON ADULT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
Adult downstream migrants remain in the vicinity of the estuary and are not
usually caught more than a few miles from the river of origin, although
tagged char have been recaptured up to 160 km from the river of origin
*258*.
COMMENTS ON BREEDING ADULT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
Spawning occurs during the day over gravel bottoms of lakes or pools in
streams at depths of 1.0-4.5 m and temperatures of about 4oC *258*.
COMMENTS ON JUVENILE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
Young downstream migrants remain in the vicinity of the estuary and are not
usually caught more than a few miles from the river of origin, although
tagged char have been recaptured up to 160 km from the river of origin
*258*.
COMMENTS ON EGG ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ -
Eggs develop over winter, buried in gravel, at temperatures of 0.0-2.2oC
and are killed by temperatures above 7.8oC *258*.
Environment Associations - 2 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
LIFE HISTORY
Reproduction: Spawning takes place in September and October in arctic
waters, in November or even December in Newfoundland and Quebec. Spawning
occurs during the day over gravel bottoms of lakes or pools in streams at
depths of 1.0-4.5 m and temperatures of about 4oC. Males establish and
guard territories but the nest or redd is prepared by a female who clears
debris from the site. The female deposits the eggs, attended usually by one
male. Males may mate with more than one female. Anadromous females usually
deposit 3000-5000 large eggs, 4.0-5.0 mm in diameter. Landlocked char are
usually smaller than anadromous forms and deposit fewer and smaller eggs.
The number of eggs deposited depends in part on the size of the female.
Females spawn every second or third year, seldom every year except in
southern populatons. The eggs develop over winter, buried in gravel, at
temperatures of 0.0-2.2oC and are killed by temperatures above 7.8oC.
Hatching is believed to occur about April, but emergence does not take place
until breakup of ice, which may be as late as mid-July when fry are about 25
mm long *258*.
Young char remain in fresh water until 15.2-20.3 cm long. In the Frobisher
Bay, Baffin Island, population, a study determined they were 5-7 yr old at
this size when they made their first seaward migration during the summer
*258*..
Growth: Arctic char are aged more accurately by examination of otoliths than
scales. Working with Frobisher Bay char, the large otolith, the sagitta, was
used. In general, Arctic char grow slowly, but growth rates vary
considerably from place to place. Anadromous char usually grow faster and
attain a larger size than landlocked char. Anadromous char usually reach
sexual maturity at a length of 46 cm and age of 12-14 yr. In northern
Labrador, males and females have similar growth rates, but males are
proportionately larger than females at a given length. Average maximum size
is reached when fish are about 20 yr old and about 71 cm long. Fish up to 40
yr old have been reported. In Labrador, a 1-year-old char seldom exceeds 50
mm in length and 7-10 yr are required for fish to a weight of 0.9-1.4 kg.
The largest known char throughout the range weighed 16 kg and was caught at
Novaya Zemlya, USSR *258*.
Description: Body trout-like, elongate, laterally compressed. Head
relatively short; snout rounded; mouth terminal, large, lower jaw
protruding, maxillary extending well beyound eye in mature males, which also
may develop a hook or kype on lower jaw or a hook on the upper jaw,
well-toothed on upper and lower jaws, on palatines, on head of vomer only,
on tongue (10-24 in 2 rows), teeth on basibranchial bones variable, 20-85;
eye large. Gill rakers, upper limb 7-13, lower limb 12-19. Branchiostegals
10-13. Fins: dorsal 12-16, dorsal adipose present; caudal usually distinctly
but shallowly forked; anal 11-15; pelvics 9-11, axillary process present;
pectorals 14-16. Scales 123-152, perforate in lateral series, cycloid,
small. Lateral line prominent, slightly decurved anteriorly, then straight.
Pyloric caeca 20-74; in Newfoundland and Labrador 23-44. Vertebrae 60-71.
Size to 100 cm and about 12 kg, usually smaller. Color: adults in spawning
dress may be brilliantly colored but sea-run and non-spawning fish are
usually bright silvery. Spawning or near-spawning males are usually
Life History - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
greenish, blue-green, or bluish on the back, silvery blue on sides with
scattered large reddish or pinkish spots, orange-red, pink, or whitish on
lower sides and belly; spots on body white or creamy on non-spawning fish,
more numberous below lateral line anteriorly, above it posteriorly.
Intensity of the color varies from locality to locality and the imminence of
actual spawning. Fins are clear on small char but dusky or opaque on adults;
lower fins usually highly colored during spawning; paired fins, anal, and
sometimes lower lobe of caudal fin with prominent white leading edge; fins
with dark marks, bars, or spots. Flesh color white or amber to orange-red
*258*.
Predation and Competition: Arctic char have few natural enemies except
seals, which occasionally eat large char, and loons and terns, which
sometimes catch small specimens. Char may also resort to cannibalism but
the effect on stocks is insignificant. Man is also a natural predator,
Eskimo and Indian peoples of northern Canada having depended on Arctic char
as a seasonal food for centuries *258*.
Parasites and disease: The Arctic char is host to a number of parasites as
are other Canadian salmonids. 37 species of parasites was listed in the
following categories: protozoan (1), monogenean (1), trematodes (8),
cestodes (10), nematodes (11), acanthocephalans (3), and copepods (3). In a
detailed study of char in northern Labrador (Adlatok to Ramah), a study
found roundworms (Philonema sp.) in the body cavity and immature stages in
the viscera, and considered the degree of infestation of various populations
to be light. They also observed tapeworms (Eubothrium salveline) in the
intestinal tract, chiefly in the duodenum and pyloric caeca but also in the
lower intestine, and considered the degree of infestation to be heavy *258*.
LIFE HISTORY CODES -
Breeding/Spawning Season: September
Breeding/Spawning Season: October
Breeding/Spawning Season: November
Breeding/Spawning Season: December
Periodicity: Active in day
Spawning Site: Gravel
Spawning Site: Standing Water
Territoriality: Defends breeding territory only
Average Number of Offspring/Reproductive Effort: 1,00
Mating System (Single breeding season): Promiscuity (
Breeding Spawning Season: April
REFERENCES FOR LIFE HISTORY- 258
Life History - 2 (DRAFT) - Management Practices
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
RESULT MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Existing Mariculture activities
Existing Other management practices [specified in comments]
REFERENCES FOR EXISTING MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 258
COMMENTS ON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES -
Upstream movement is stopped by low obstructions, for Arctic char do not
leap like Atlantic salmon and depend on elevated water levels during high
tide to surmount obstacles. Falls of 1.5-1.8 m are enough to block upstream
movement *258*.
Labrador has excellent Arctic char stocks, many of which support fisheries
of considerable importance to the local economy *258*.
Management Practices - 1 (DRAFT) - References
Species char, Arctic
Species Id M010247
Date 27 AUG 96
References
258 * Scott, W.B., M.G. Scott. 1988. Atlantic Fishes of Canada.
Canadian Bulletin of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (219) (ed.).
University of Toronto Press Toronto, Canada:731.
References - 1