Governance and assessment of small-scale data-limited Arctic Charr fisheries using productivity-susceptibility analysis coupled with life history invariant models

Abstract

Governance of fisheries in Canada’s North is shared between communities, Inuit land claim management boards and the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans under co-management systems outlined in the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement and the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. The management, conservation and optimization of Arctic Charr resources remain complicated by data paucity; by biological complexity of Arctic Charr stocks; climate change impacts; and by the lack of adapted stock assessment tools and co-management frameworks linking Inuit traditional knowledge with scientific expertise. The current state of Arctic Charr fisheries in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories is reviewed and alternatives presented for the evaluation of Arctic Charr stocks using intra-specific life history diversity as a basis for risk and quantitative assessments. The approach fits well with the shared governance model in that the biological characteristics at the root of the analysis, such as size at spawning and maximum length (life history metrics), can be observed through Inuit knowledge and/or through scientific sampling carried out by community members. Assessment is developed as a two stage process using productivity-susceptibility analysis and life history invariant models to determine the maximum sustainable production. The resulting analytical model can but updated through further ecological observations from the community and field sampling. The approach provides for active engagement by the fishers in the process of stock assessment. These science alternatives can be used by managers within the co-management framework to maximize sustainability of Arctic Charr fisheries.