Parasites of arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus) and their use in separating sea‐run and non‐migrating charr

Abstract

Metazoan parasites of arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus, from the Nettilling Lake–Koukdjuak River system, Baffin Island, were studied. Non‐migrating charr hosted 9 species of parasites while sea‐run charr hosted 15 species of parasites. Diphyllobothrium spp., Eubothrium salvelini, and Proteocephalus longicollis were found to be good indicators of non‐migrating charr and Brachyphallus crenatus, Bothrimonus sturionis and Prosorhynchus squamatus were good indicators of sea‐run charr. Using these parasites as biological tags, the proportion of charr caught by the commercial fishery at the outlet of the Koukdjuak River were determined to be approximately 80% sea‐run and 20% non‐migrating charr. Step‐wise discriminant statistical analysis on morphic characters of charr, designated as sea‐run and non‐migrating by their parasites, showed these charr to differ morphologically.