Chum Salmon in the Canadian Arctic: The past, the present and the future Karen Dunmall1, 2 Rob Bajno1, Margaret Docker2, Jim Reist1 1: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 2: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Gruben Photo: R. Popko R. Photo: Photo: K. Dunmall K. Photo: Photo: M. Photo: Subsistence fishing Subsistence harvest Commercial fishing boat Aklavik, NT Norman Wells, NT Hay River, NT Outline The Past • Historical presence • Passive salmon collection program The Present • Population structure analyses • Catch Date & Location • Morphology • Genetic Analyses • Community Involvement • Communication • Data Collection & Monitoring The Future Photo: K. Dunmall • Next steps Mackenzie River watershed Historical Presence Abundance in Canadian Arctic varies with species: • Chum are the most frequent Pacific salmon species captured in the Canadian Arctic. • Pink salmon are the second most frequent species captured • All other species of Pacific salmon are extremely rare. Peel River Chum salmon are natal; all other species are vagrants • Chum salmon are the only species natal to the Canadian Arctic • suspected spawning populations in 3 tributaries of the Mackenzie River: • the Peel, Liard and Slave Rivers. Liard River Slave River Pacific Salmon Collection Program DFO passive salmon collection program (2000-2010) • Started in 2000 (some were reported earlier) • 263 salmon of all species reported to 2010. New research project started in 2011, continued in 2012 • 229 salmon were reported in 2011 • 23 salmon were reported in 2012 Total salmon reported (2000-2012): 515 Photo: J. Firth • Chum is most common = 396 • Pink = 74 • Sockeye (and kokanee) = 18 • Chinook = 15 • Coho = 2 Pink salmon from Peel River, 2012 Chum and Pink Salmon in the Canadian Arctic Pacific Salmon: Catch Locations Population Structure: Mackenzie River? And Pacific Rim? Elsewhere ? Peel River ? Liard River ? Slave River ? Previous Work: Pacific Rim Population Structure From Beacham et al. 2009 From Beacham et al. 2009 Chum Salmon Population Genetics Study . 17 DNA microsatellite markers have been used to genotype 266 individuals. A model-based clustering method (STRUCTURE; Pritchard et al. 2000) for inferring population structure was used to determine the number of genetic groups present. Individuals were assigned to a population (or populations) based on their individual genotype; not based on any a priori spatial assumptions. Photo Photo by K. Dunmall Chum Salmon Population Genetics Study Results: . According to the STRUCTURE analysis, the number of inferred genetic groups = 2. There are no obvious correlations between assignments and local collection sites and/or collection years. Further investigations to resolve definable fine-scale structure will be undertaken. The population structure of these individuals within the broader chum salmon distribution in the Arctic will be explored Chum Salmon Length by Year Caught Frequency 10 15 20 25 30 0 5 550 Median = 671 mm 671 = Median 205 n = 560 205 n = 570 580 590 600 610 620 2011 caught Chum salmon in Chum salmon caught 2011 in 630 640 Fork Fork (mm) Length 650 660 670 Chum salmon returning to Liard 680 690 700 (From Irvine et al. 2009.) al. et(From Irvine 710 1979 720 730 - 1980 740 750 760 770 River River 780 790 800 Chum Salmon Length by Location Delta Mid GSL Chum Salmon Age Data Delta Mid GSL Age Delta Mid GSL Total % 0.2 5 2 0 7 3 0.3 18 22 1 41 18 0.4 26 146 0 172 77 0.5 3 1 0 4 2 Total 52 171 1 224 Community Involvement • Communities throughout the Northwest Territories are heavily involved in this project. • Pacific Salmon Reward Program • Monitoring Pacific salmon catch locations and year-to-year relative abundance • Monitoring environmental conditions (i.e. water temperature) • Communication is essential • Website www.arcticsalmon.ca • Facebook site www.facebook.com/arcticsalmon • Letters, phone calls, emails, brochures, posters • Community presentations Photo by K. Dunmall www.arcticsalmon.ca www.facebook.com/ arcticsalmon Future Work • Many unknowns! • Where do chum salmon spawn in the Mackenzie River? • Are they spawning successfully? • Are there multiple populations within the Mackenzie River? • Are they adapted to specific spawning sites or environmental conditions? • Are the higher numbers of chum salmon due to increased inputs from other sources or from increased populations Photo Photo by K. Dunmall within the Mackenzie River? • Many more questions! • Marine habitat use patterns? • Interaction with native chars? Rat River Valley, NT Acknowledgements Photo by K. Dunmall Richardson mountains near Aklavik, NT • Previous work on salmon in Canadian Arctic. • J. Babaluk, J. Irvine, E. Linn, N. Mochnacz, J. Reist, S. Stephenson, local community members. • All communities and local harvesters for turning in salmon! • DFO Inuvik, Yellowknife & NWT ENR staff, community organizations and many others for collecting salmon, handing out rewards. • DFO Nanaimo (T. Beacham) for providing microsatellite information and PCR profiles • DFO Nanaimo (S. MacLellan & staff) for aging the salmon and providing training Funding provided by: NSERC, DFO, CCSI, GRDI, ACCASP, CIMP, University of Manitoba. .