Growth characteristics and age at first migration of anadromous and resident Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in the Canadian Arctic (2006-2008) ...

• Main Authors: Swanson, Heidi K, Kidd, Karen A, Babaluk, John A, Wastle, Rick J, Yang, Panseok P, Halden, Norman M, Reist, James D
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2010
• Subjects: International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; International Polar Year; Kitikmeot; Nunavut; Salvelinus alpinus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.838933; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.838933

In the family Salmonidae, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) are considered the least tolerant of salt water. There are, however, sporadic reports of lake trout in coastal, brackish habitats in the Canadian Arctic. Otolith microchemistry analyses conducted on lake trout and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) from four Arctic lakes in the West Kitikmeot region of Nunavut, Canada, revealed that 37 of 135 (27%) lake trout made annual marine migrations. Anadromous lake trout were in significantly better condition (K = 1.17) and had significantly higher C:N ratios (3.71) than resident lake trout (K = 1.05 and C:N = 3.34). Anadromous lake trout also had significantly higher d15N (mean = 16.4 per mil), d13C (mean = -22.3 per mil), and d34S (mean = 13.43 per mil) isotope ratios than resident lake trout (means = 12.84 per mil, -26.21 per mil, and 1.93 per mil for d15N, d13C, and d34S, respectively); results were similar for Arctic char and agree with results from previous studies. Mean age of first migration for lake ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...