Title: The Arctic Char
Categories: Fish Info
Yield: 4 Servings

Arctic Char

The Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) has the most northerly distribution of any of the freshwater fish. It is the dominant species of the Arctic coast, and for centuries has been an important food resource of the Inuit. However, only since the late 1940s has it been caught commercially and shipped south to become a gourmet restaurant item in many large North American cities. Recent fisheries statistics indicate that, after the whitefish, it is the second most valuable catch in the Northwest Territories.

The magnificent colouration, excellent quality of flesh, fighting spirit, and relative inaccessibility of this fish have combined to make it a highly desirable quarry for many affluent North American anglers. Unfortunately, increased fishing pressure added to resource development in the Arctic pose a threat to char populations.

Arctic char are streamlined fish and typically troutlike. They belong to the char group of the salmon family and there are two subgroups - a sea-run group and a freshwater or land-locked group. The sea-run fish are larger, commonly weighing 2.3 to 4.5 kg, while the lake dwellers range in weight from 0.2 to 2.3 kg. The largest Arctic char on record was caught in Tree River, N.W.T, in 1970 and weighed 12.2 kg.

The colour of these fish is extremely variable. Sea-run adults are commonly deep blue or blue-green over the back, shading to glistening silver on the sides and white over the belly. A distinguishing feature is a series of large, round spots, usually violet-pink, scattered on the sides. Breeding fish of both subgroups exhibit brilliant red colouration on the sides, underparts, and lower fins.

Circumpolar in distribution, Arctic char are native to far northern streams and lakes of North America, Asia, Europe, Iceland and Greenland. They are found in North America from Alaska around the Bering Sea and along the Arctic coast as far as Baffin Island. Except in the larger rivers, they seldom range far inland, although there are a few pockets of freshwater char as far south as Newfoundland, New Brunswick and the lakes of southeastern Quebec. In the Northwest Territories, their distribution includes most coastal rivers, some coastal lakes, the streams of the high Arctic islands and several islands in Hudson Bay.

Char fisheries at Rankin Inlet, Cambridge Bay, Pelly Bay and Nettilling Lake account for most of the commercial catch, which is taken with gillnets. Sea-run fish are the principal target of the sport fishermen, who catch them mainly in late summer and early fall when, after a summer of feeding at sea, they are heaviest. Most of the sport fishing occurs in coastal streams in the vicinity of Rankin Inlet, in streams entering Coronation and Queen Maud Gulf, and on Baffin Island.

Arctic char is marketed mainly fresh and frozen as whole dressed fish and steaks. A small quantity is canned. In whatever form, it is a highly priced delicacy. The flesh varies in colour and may be red, pink or white, with the red commanding the highest price. Tastewise, it is said to combine the delicious flavours of brook trout and salmon.

From: The Freshwater Fish marketing Corporation

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