Establishing a long-term, river-based monitoring system for Arctic Char in the Cambridge Bay area, Nunavut (NGMP ID EC02)

The project will establish a long-term community-based monitoring program for fishery-dependent data collection for Cambridge Bay Arctic Char. Educating and training local monitors and fishers will facilitate documentation of river-specific catch and effort information by and for community resource users. Total harvest removal estimates will allow managers to determine the current status of a fishery and whether the quotas support sustainable harvest levels. The data produced from catch and effort estimates can be used as a proxy for population abundance and for monitoring long term trends in the fishery. These data can be integrated into models to better predict the outcome of alternative management regimes or what effect current management approaches may have on the stock. An established time series is critical to achieve greater accuracy in the population estimates and implement improved management strategies that will ensure Arctic Char are managed in a sustainable manor. This monitoring program will occur annually at commercial waterbodies, (i.e., Ekalluk, Halovik, Lauchlan, Paliryuak, and Jayco rivers) typically spanning from early July to late September. The initial length of the project will be seven years, reflecting given that the minimum number of years needed to collect catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) data is five years. This will also allow for modifications to the study design and monitoring protocol. Training and education of local monitors and fishers will benefit the community in the long-term, increasing the community's scientific knowledge of their fish resource and the framework applied for co-management decision making. The knowledge transfer and subsequent skills developed through this monitoring program will be a valuable asset which will allow Inuinuktut and other northerners to initiate and further engage in future cumulative impact monitoring programs and fish stock assessment surveys in the Canadian north.