The Biology of Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus L.) in Northern Labrador

1956 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 843-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. W. Andrews ◽  
E. Lear
Keyword(s):  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Age Determination ◽  
Market Value ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Flesh Colour ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Fin Ray ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Commercial Size

Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus L.) from the commercial sea run were sampled at five stations in northern Labrador. Otoliths were used for age determination. In the southern part of the range—Adlatok and Nain—commercial size is reached at 6 years and at places farther north in 7 years. There is also a tendency for older fish to occur as one proceeds north.Age, weight, and length frequencies as well as their relationship to one another were determined.Vertebral counts indicate little, if any, intermingling of populations between: Adlatok and Nain, Okkak Bay and Hebron, Adlatok and Ramah, Nain and Hebron. Fin ray counts conform with the vertebral results but indicate no significant difference between Adlatok and Nain or Nain and Okkak Bay fish.Variations in flesh colour from white to deep red is a distinct characteristic of Arctic char in northern Labrador; flesh colour has a distinct bearing on the market value of the fish.Principal food items included capelin, launce, young of mailed sculpin, Amphipoda, and Euphausiacea.

Cardiorespiratory responses of seawater-acclimated adult Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) to an acute temperature increase

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 1096-1105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantelle M. Penney ◽  
Gordon W. Nash ◽  
A. Kurt Gamperl
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Temperature Increase ◽  
Thermal Tolerance ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Acclimation Temperature ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Significant Difference

In this first study examining the thermal tolerance of adult Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) acclimated to seawater, we measured their critical thermal maximum (CTMax) and several cardiorespiratory parameters (oxygen consumption (MO2), heart rate (fH), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (Q), ventilatory frequency (VF), opercular pressure (PO), and ventilatory effort (VE)) when exposed to a temperature increase of 2 °C·h−1. Further, we directly compared these results with those obtained for the eurythermal Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) under identical conditions. There was no significant difference in cardiorespiratory values between the two species at their acclimation temperature (9.5–10 °C). In contrast, the slope of the MO2–temperature relationship was lower (by 27%) in the char as compared with that in the salmon, and the char had significantly lower values for maximum fH (by 13%), maximum MO2 (by 35%), absolute metabolic scope (by 39%), and CTMax (approximately 23 versus 26.5 °C, respectively). Although not a focus of the study, preliminary data suggest that interspecific differences in mitochondrial respiration (oxidative phosphorylation), and its temperature sensitivity, may partially explain the difference in thermal tolerance between the two species. These results provide considerable insights into why Atlantic salmon are displacing Arctic char in the current era of accelerated climate change.

Transmission of Diphyllobothrium ditremum to Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) in Two Subarctic Quebec lakes

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 1626-1634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Bérubé ◽  
Mark A. Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Slow Growth ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
High Abundance ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Infected Population

Diphyllobothrium ditremum (Cestoda: Pseudophyllidea) transmission to arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) was investigated at two small (<10 ha) lakes in northern Quebec, where the char populations exhibit a marked difference in plerocercoid prevalence (78 vs. 18%) and abundance (27.7 vs. 1.2 plerocercoids/fish). The highly infected char population was characterized by slow growth and poor feeding conditions. Feeding behavior of char in the two lakes differed principally in the fall, when consumption of benthos significantly decreased in the highly infected population as char fed more on copepods or sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Presence of these two food items in char stomachs was associated with high abundance of D. ditremum. The availability of alternative foods, such as larval insects and amphipods, appears to prevent char from acquiring heavy infections of D. ditremum, even in circumstances where all potential hosts are present.

On the Age, Growth, Migration, Reproductive Potential and Feeding Habits of the Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) of Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island

1953 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 326-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Grainger
Keyword(s):  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Age Determination ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Small Samples ◽  
Fish Length ◽  
Food Species ◽  
The Relationship

The Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus Linn.) was studied, in the summers of 1948, 1950 and 1951, about the mouth of the Sylvia Grinnell River, Frobisher Bay, Baffin Island.Otoliths are shown to be reliable age indicators and are used for age determination. Because of deficiencies in the sampling of the fish a calculated growth curve has been constructed. The calculated growth rate is obtained by showing the relationship between otolith width and fish length and expressing it in the equation: log (fish length) = −1.503 + 1.982 log (otolith width). The relationship between otolith ring diameter and fish age is demonstrated, and from these two relationships the lengths of fish at earlier ages are calculated.The char grow very slowly, and reach an age of more than 24 winters. They migrate to the sea in late June and return to fresh water from late July until September. The first movements to the sea probably occur during the fifth, sixth and seventh summers. Sexual maturity in the females is reached at a length of about 45 cm., and at an age of approximately 12 winters. Egg counts of maturing fish averaged 3,589. Only about 33 per cent of the females over 45 cm. were maturing. At least 30 food species were found in the stomachs.Additional growth, fecundity and food studies were made on small samples from George River, Herschel Island and Adlorilik.

Floating, switching, or nonswitching as different behaviours when Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) are visiting two feeding tanks

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 1068-1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Brännäs ◽  
Torleif Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Ideal Free Distribution ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Feed Ratio ◽  
Single Group ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Time To Learn

The following questions were addressed. Will individual Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) differ in their visiting strategies when given a choice between two feeding tanks? If so, will the choice of strategy depend on individual characteristics (size) and will it affect their success (growth)? Further, will their allocation of visits to the two feeding tanks correspond to the food ratio? The passages between the nonfeeding tank and the two equally rich feeding tanks were recorded for four separate groups during a 3-week period. In an additional study, a single group was continuously monitored for 5 months using the same setup, but the feed ratio between the two feeding tanks was changed. Certain individuals in both studies consistently visited the same feeding tank (nonswitchers) and these were the most successful ones in terms of growth rate. Other individuals either kept visiting both tanks (switchers) or spent most of their time in the nonfeeding tank (floaters). These behaviours were applied by individuals that had a lower growth rate and are therefore likely to have lower competitive ability or feeding motivation. No significant difference in initial weight between the behavioural categories was found in either of the two studies. In the four-group study, the proportion of visits into the two feeding tanks matched the food ratio among the switchers only and the distribution of the groups failed to match the food ratio. In the single-group study, the group distributed according to the food ratio (ideal free distribution) if they were given sufficient time to learn the quality of the patches. A change in the relative food ratio caused the switchers and floaters to alter their visiting behaviour, always favouring the more profitable tank, whereas the nonswitchers continued to visit the same tank.

Parasitological evidence for specialized foraging behavior in lake-resident Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus)

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (S1) ◽  
pp. 186-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Curtis ◽  
Michel Bérubé ◽  
Andreas Stenzel
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Feeding Specialization

Analyses of statistical associations between the stomach contents and endoparasites of Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, from a small (9 ha) lake in northern Quebec revealed that food items found in fish stomachs at the time of capture frequently consisted of intermediate hosts for the parasites infecting the fish. Thus the stomach contents of Arctic char infected by Diphyllobothrium ditremum, D. dendriticum, and Eubothrium salvelini tended to include copepods, while fish infected by the digenean Crepidostomum farionis more frequently contained insect larvae (ephemeropterans) and fish infected by the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus lateralis most often had amphipods in their stomachs. Moreover, strong quantitative associations were evident between parasites utilizing intermediate hosts from either the benthic or the limnetic zone of the lake. This suggests that some degree of persistent feeding specialization was present among members of the Arctic char population over an extended period of time, with individual fish predominantly feeding upon prey organisms in either limnetic or benthic habitats. In this manner an allopatric Arctic char population may function analogously to more diverse fish communities, where specialist foraging behavior is developed to most efficiently exploit the food web.

First confirmation of salmonid alphavirus infection in Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus and in Austria

2018 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-76
Author(s):  
E Lewisch ◽  
T Frank ◽  
H Soliman ◽  
O Schachner ◽  
A Friedl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Alphavirus Infection

scholarly journals Investigating the morphological and genetic divergence of arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus) populations in lakes of arctic Alaska

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Klobucar ◽  
Jessica A. Rick ◽  
Elizabeth G. Mandeville ◽  
Catherine E. Wagner ◽  
Phaedra Budy
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Divergence ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Arctic Alaska

Influence of Parr Growth, Lake Morphology, and Freshwater Parasites on the Degree of Anadromy in Different Populations of Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) in Northern Norway

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 1229-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut Kristoffersen ◽  
Morten Halvorsen ◽  
Lisbeth Jørgensen
Keyword(s):  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Relative Size ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Relative Volume ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Northern Norway ◽  
Length Relationship ◽  
Lake Morphology ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Profundal Zone

Anadromy of nine lake populations of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in northern Norway was scored on the following criteria: prevalence of marine parasites, fish size, and size at maturity. In general, anadromy dominated in shallow lakes and residency dominated in deep lakes. The anadromy scores of the populations were significantly higher in lakes without a profundal zone compared with lakes with a profundal zone. There was also a significant negative correlation between the relative volume of the profundal zone (RPV) and the degree of anadromy and between RPV and mean parr length at ages 2+ and 3+. However, differences in parr growth could not explain all the observed variation in anadromy, and the correlation between mean parr length at ages 2+ and 3+ and the degree of anadromy in the different populations was not significant. In addition to the effect on parr growth, lake morphology seemed to influence the degree of anadromy through the relative size of different habitats, which in turn affects the number of available niches. The parr weight/length relationship and infection with the freshwater parasites Phyllodistomum umblae and Diphyllobothrium spp. did not affect the degree of anadromy.

Respiratory development in Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus under conditions of normoxia and chronic hypoxia

1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 1461-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. G. McDonald ◽  
B. R. McMahon
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Surface Morphology ◽  
Chronic Hypoxia ◽  
Prolonged Exposure ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Ventilation Rate ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Adult Fish ◽  
Weighted Averages ◽  
Secondary Lamellae

Changes in surface morphology of the gills, ventilation rate, and heart rate were examined in Arctic char larvae exposed to normoxia (pO2 = 121 ± 6 (SE) mmHg) or chronic hypoxia (pO2 = 33 ± 3.5 mmHg) for 47 days after hatching. A modified weighted-averages technique was developed to measure aspects of gill morphology.Early development of the gills was characterized by rapid increases in filament size and number, and the emergence and proliferation of secondary lamellae. Variations in the dimensions of the gills, as noted in adult fish, were particularly evident in the larval fish.Hypoxia caused increases in both ventilation rate and heart rate. Prolonged exposure led to a retardation of gill growth, particularly the proliferation of secondary lamellae. However, growth of individual lamellae was stimulated between 38 and 47 days.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document