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FISH HABITAT, POPULATIONS AND
HARVEST
Indicators
- Age distribution of fish stocks
- Aquatic habitat structure (substrate cover) and quality (importance
to species)
- Fish abundance, size and distribution*
- Maturity and fecundity
- Spawning, rearing and over wintering locations
- Winter depth/ velocity
* Trend graphs are available for indicators highlighed in orange.
Trend Graphs (NEW)
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Indicators
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Trend Graphs
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Fish Abundance, Size and Distribution
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Current Knowledge
Fish are an important year-round food source for people in the Northwest Territories. There are 48 species of freshwater and sea-run fish in the North; half of those species are not harvested . Very few studies on fish, fish habitat and harvest numbers have been completed in the NWT.
Healthy fish populations rely on healthy habitat. When fish populations are doing well, we assume their habitats are doing well. However, some habitats in the NWT have been damaged by development. Climate change may also affect fish habitat and fish populations.
Very little information is known about fish that are not harvested in the North. It is hard to determine the size of fish stocks in the NWT and no continual monitoring and assessment is currently done. Over the last 50 years there have been fluctuations in fish stocks and a few problems have been reported with some angler and sport fishing of walleye and lake trout, but overall, fish harvesting levels in the NWT are sustainable.
Current Monitoring
- Fish and marine mammal harvest - Northwest Territories - Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)
- Monitoring NWT west area fish stocks – DFO
- Lower Mackenzie River index-netting program – DFO
- Peel River fish study - Gwich'in Renewable Resource Board
- Arctic Char Fisheries in the ISR - DFO
- Big Fish River - Cache Creek Dolly Varden charr monitoring – DFO
- Rat River Dolly Varden charr monitoring program – DFO
- Gwich’in Settlement Area harvest study – Gwich’in Renewable Resource Board
- Sahtu Settlement Area harvest study - Sahtu Renewable Resources Board
- Inuvialuit Settlement Region harvest study - Inuvialuit Joint Secretariat
- Sahtu Settlement Area – Special harvesting area fish assessments - DFO
- Aquatic effects monitoring program - BHP Diamonds Inc.
- Monitoring of fish health and habitat - Diavik Diamond Mines Inc.
- Monitoring of fish and other animals and their habitats - Tariuq Ocean Monitoring Program – DFO
- Winter Beaufort Sea fish and habitat survey –under development by DFO
Gaps and Recommendations
There is limited information on spawning, rearing, feeding, over-wintering
habitats and river/lake substrate.
The current knowledge-base must be expanded to include the entire NWT, and include harvested, as well as non-harvested species. Monitoring of fish distribution, abundance, size, age and maturity is recommended, specifically inconnu, walleye, lake trout and lake cisco in areas as identified. In addition, it will be important to monitor physical changes to habitat as a result of industrial activity. Since fish habitat and population is dependent on many other factors, a strong linkage with other VCs such as water quality, water quantity and fish quality must be maintained.
Knowledge is greatly improved through the contribution of community-based monitoring programs such as index netting and coordination with existing programs.
Source: A Preliminary State of Knowledge of Valued Components for the NWT Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program (NWT CIMP) and Audit. February 2002; updated February 2005 and June 2007.
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