Arctic Char

Wild fisheries for Arctic char exist near Cambridge Bay and Cumberland Sound in Nunavut, Canada. Arctic char fisheries in the Nunavut Settlement Area are co-managed by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, regional wildlife organizations, and hunter and trapper organizations in accordance with the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, the Fisheries Act, and in some communities, by the bylaws of local hunter and trapper organizations. Among management measures for Arctic char in Nunavut are: minimum gillnet mesh sizes, license controls, river-specific quotas and total harvest limits, and community-based monitoring. The fishery is well managed, but management is considered to be complex due to the widespread distribution and biological nature of Arctic char as well as a lack of recorded harvesting data. Currently, only local Inuit community members are allowed to participate in the fishery.

The Department of Fisheries and Ocean (DFO) and various provincial regulatory bodies manage Arctic char aquaculture in Canada. These organizations are responsible for the growth and siting of the aquaculture industry throughout Canada. In New Brunswick, Arctic char aquaculture is governed by the Environmental Management Program for Land Based Finfish Aquaculture in New Brunswick – which is responsible for developing best management practices, monitoring/reporting requirements, and discharge thresholds – as well as the Department of Environmental and Local Government Certificate of Approval to Operate – which includes conditions regarding number of fish/biomass that can be raised, rate of water withdrawal, and acceptable chemical discharge compositions. In the Yukon Territory, the Yukon Water Board is responsible for regulations regarding water use and discharge.

Iceland is the world’s largest producer of farmed Arctic char and multiple federal, regional and community authorities are charged with the management of aquaculture in Iceland. Any freshwater aquaculture facility that produces more than 20 metric tons of fish a year is required to have both an environmental and operational license issued by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture – whereas any farm that produces less than 20 metric tons is managed by local health and environmental community committees. These licenses include specific measures regarding pollutant, chemical, and solid discharges along with other local and regional environmental issues. Licenses also include requirements for facility monitoring and compliance testing.

Both federal and state regulations govern land-based aquaculture in the US. All permit applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis and the overall process is designed to protect the surrounding ecosystems. Numerous federal agencies provide some degree of oversight to aquaculture facilities operating in the US. These include:

• The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – which is responsible for coordinating national aquaculture policy and providing industry with research, information, and extension services;
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – which regulates waste discharge from aquaculture facilities;
• The Fisheries and Wildlife Service (FWS) – which regulates the introduction and transport of fish; and,
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine is responsible for approving and monitoring the use of drugs and medicated feeds used in the aquaculture industry.