CANADA’S ARCTIC MARINE ATLAS This Atlas is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. I | Suggested Citation: Oceans North Conservation Society, World Wildlife Fund Canada, and Ducks Unlimited Canada. (2018). Canada’s Arctic Marine Atlas. Ottawa, Ontario: Oceans North Conservation Society. Cover image: Shaded Relief Map of Canada’s Arctic by Jeremy Davies Inside cover: Topographic relief of the Canadian Arctic This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA. All photographs © by the photographers ISBN: 978-1-7752749-0-2 (print version) ISBN: 978-1-7752749-1-9 (digital version) Library and Archives Canada Printed in Canada, February 2018 100% Carbon Neutral Print by Hemlock Printers © 1986 Panda symbol WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund). ® “WWF” is a WWF Registered Trademark. ARCTIC FISHES SIMPLIFIED FOOD WEB MARINE AND ANADROMOUS FISHES OF THE ARCTIC Freshwater Anadromous ARCTIC CHAR/ humans Nearshore ARCTIC CHAR/ marine DOLLY VARDEN CHAR DOLLY VARDEN CHAR marine water birds MARINE & Introduction into fresh water to lay their eggs) that occur in both ANADROMOUS We know of at least 1,439 freshwater and marine fish nearshore and offshore marine locations in the summer Near ice FISHES species native to Canada. Of these, 222 fish species Shallow coastal occur in Canadian Arctic marine waters. Within the Arc- months and therefore play an important role in the Arctic zooplankton/ - Anadromous Fishes marine ecosystem. The migration of anadromous fishes Anadromous tic marine environment, approximately 20 species are HERRING ARCTIC COD phytoplankton - Pelagic Fishes ARCTIC CHAR/ anadromous, meaning they move between fresh water from the sea to rivers and lakes also carries energy and CAPELIN - Bottom Fishes and salt water for feeding, spawning, and overwintering. nutrients to freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. DOLLY VARDEN CHAR - Forage Fishes About 55 fish species are found in fresh water north of ARCTIC COD 60° latitude, mostly in the Northwest Territories, and Cultural significance some in Nunavut. This number includes anadromous Fishing has long been an important part of Inuit cul- seals whales Open species that occur in both habitats. The Canadian por- ture and lifestyle. Freshwater, anadromous, and ocean water tion of the Beaufort Sea is home to approximately 52 fishes were captured year-round, with major fishing marine and 20 anadromous and freshwater species. The efforts occurring in the spring and fall when the fish zooplankton/ Canadian Archipelago area of the Arctic Ocean (north were migrating back to their spawning and overwin- phytoplankton of the mainland to the 200–nautical mile Exclusive tering grounds in large numbers. Today, fish are still an Deep water Economic Zone boundary) is home to approximately important part of the culture, diet, and economy of the ARCTIC COD 68 marine and 13 anadromous and freshwater species. Inuit. In addition to subsistence fisheries, small-scale The Baffin Bay and Davis Strait area is home to approx- commercial fisheries also play an important role in the imately 104 marine and 5 anadromous species of fish. economy of several communities in Inuit Nunangat, in- GREENLAND HALIBUT Bottom of Ocean cluding Arctic Char fisheries from the Mackenzie Delta bottom organisms Ecological significance to Baffin Bay that serve southern as well as northern Arctic marine fishes are key players in the ocean markets. This simplified food web shows the movement of energy through key Arctic marine and anadromous fish species. The overlapping network of food chains shows ecosystem as they transfer energy from lower levels how each species is interconnected. of the food web to other fishes, seabirds, and marine Major concerns mammals. In other words, fishes eat plankton, and in Climate change is resulting in changes to marine turn become food for birds and mammals. An overview productivity, decreased sea ice coverage, and in- Rationale for selected species of marine fishes must also consider anadromous fishes creased water temperature. All these changes can lead Seven fish species are highlighted in this section, chosen be- (those such as Arctic Char that migrate from the sea to the expansion of southern fish species ranges into cause of their value to northern culture and economy and/or the the Arctic marine regions. Decreased sea ice coverage important role they play in the Canadian Arctic marine ecosystem. could allow increased Arctic marine shipping that may There are other fish species that are important to the Arctic ma- interfere with the migratory routes of fish or result in rine environment. For example, sand lances (Ammodytes species) pollution and introduced species. The decrease in are a very important food for many of the larger marine animals in sea ice also brings increased interest in large-scale the Arctic Ocean. They have been found in the stomachs of many commercial fisheries exploitation. Currently there are of the animals eaten by the Inuit, including Beluga Whales, seals, no such fisheries in Canadian Arctic waters. In 2011, an and seabirds including Thick-Billed Murres, whose eggs Inuit eat. agreement was signed between the Canadian govern- The Northern Sand Lance (Ammodytes dubius) is an important ment and the Inuvialuit people of the western Arctic food for commercially important fish species, including Atlantic placing a hold on large-scale fisheries in the Beaufort Salmon (Salmo salar) and cod. However, there is a lack of avail- Sea, matching a similar action on the US side of the able data documenting its known locations. border, until further data and information can provide a better understanding of this ecosystem. Canada is cur- Gaps in knowledge rently engaged in international discussions to extend While there are some data from specific sampling locations this policy to the international waters of the central Arc- within Canadian Arctic waters, many areas remain to be sampled, tic Ocean. In Baffin Bay, Greenland Halibut (Turbot) and and basic data are lacking. Surveys in the Arctic marine envi- shrimp fisheries occur in Canadian as well as Greenlan- ronment are limited by remoteness, cost, and sea ice. However, dic waters. A fisheries ecosystem management plan is with new surveys, new species are being discovered. While it is in development for the Canadian side of the bay. possible to predict the general effects of a changing climate on Arctic marine fishes, population trend, distributions, and ecologi- An Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) holding a Capelin flies above Hubbart cal interactions of most species are poorly understood, leaving a Point along Hudson Bay. (photo: WorldFoto) great deal yet to be learned. For further reading, see p. 107. Subsistence fishing in Gjoa Haven, a western Nunavut community. Fish are an important part of a country food diet for Inuit across the Canadian Arctic. (photo: Ton Koene) | 48 49 | Marine and Anadromous Fish Observations Arctic Cod DATA SOURCES – Documented Occurrences: OBIS. 2016. Global biodiversity indices from the Ocean Biogeographic Information System. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. The red dots on this map show the occurrence of captured Arctic marine and Accessed: 17/02/2016. http://www.iobis.org; Mueter et al. 2013. Adapted from Figure 32 in Marine Fishes of the anadromous fish species included in this atlas and others from historical museum Arctic. Arctic Report Card: Update for 2013. Accessed: 09/09/2016. ftp://ftp.oar.noaa.gov/arctic/documents/ records, literature records, in-field surveys, and commercial-fisheries observers, ArcticReportCard_full_report2013.pdf – Basemap Data: Atlas of Canada 1:1M, ESRI, Flanders Marine as well as fish occurrences as mapped in Mueter et al. (2013). Note that fish Institute, Natural Earth. occurrence records become sparse as you move farther away from the mainland coast and communities, especially in the open ocean, which reflects a lack of data rather than the absence of fish. In addition, the dense number of points in Davis Strait and the Labrador Sea reflect the reporting of commercial-fishery harvests and associated bycatch. | 50 51 | Facing page: Drying Arctic Char in Clyde River, Nunavut. (photo: Henry Huntington) Arctic Char and ANADROMOUS FISHES Dolly Varden Char Salvelinus alpinus & Salvelinus malma malma The occurrence points on this map show the location of captured specimens from historical museum records, literature records, and in-field surveys. Areas of Arctic Char Dolly Varden Char MARINE & Arctic Char and Dolly Varden Char sparse points reflect a lack of data rather ANADROMOUS than the absence of fish. The range polygon FISHES Natural history displayed is the likely distribution based on ࿽ Anadromous Fishes Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) and Dolly Varden Char (Salveninus habitat modelling and/or known range data. - Pelagic Fishes malma) belong to the trout and salmon family (Salmonidae). Both - Bottom Fishes species can be anadromous (moving between fresh water and sea - Forage Fishes water during their life history) or freshwater-restricted, living their entire lives in lakes or rivers. Both species can also be polymorphic, meaning their shape can differ depending on their diet and where they live. For example, there can be anadromous and freshwater-restricted morphs (shape variations),