Life History of Two Isolated Populations of Arctic Char ( Salvelinus alpinus ) in Spring-Fed Tributaries of the Canning River, Alaska

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Authors: McCart, P., Craig, P.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1973
• Subjects: Arctic; Bering Sea; Salvelinus alpinus; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f73-192; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f73-192

Two isolated populations of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in spring-fed tributaries of the Canning River, Alaska, had meristic characters that corresponded to those of the Western Arctic–Bering Sea form of Arctic char. The two populations demonstrated slight differences in growth rates, age at maturity, longevity, and food habits. The fish were characterized by small size (maximum 235 mm), low growth rates, low fecundities (maximum 199 eggs), and annual spawning after maturity. Mature fish were darkly pigmented and parr marks were retained throughout life. The spawning season appeared to be sometime in November, when the eggs of mature females averaged 3.8 mm in diameter.