Artic char

Scientific: Salvelinus alpinus. English: Arctic char. Icelandic: Bleikja, sjóreyður. For more languages see the Marine animal Dictionary.

Biology and distribution 

Arctic char is widespread in Iceland, probably the most common salmonid species. As is customary with trout, there are both diadromous and pure freshwater stocks in Iceland. Furthermore, there are many distinct freshwater stocks. In some lakes, there are two or more morphs that have very different ecology; it is likely that these are on the way to speciation, they are becoming separate species.

Arctic char differs from salmon in many regards. It is much smaller, the seagoing stocks are usually 35 to 45 cm, but freshwater stocks are of various sizes, usually smaller. The largest Arctic char measured in Icelandic waters was 87.5 cm and weighed 10 kg. The Arctic char has a very flexible growth pattern. In aquaculture, Arctic char reach market size (300 – 2000 g) 15-30 months after hatching, while stocks living in food scarce conditions in the wild can grow very slowly. Age of maturity is also quite variable depending on conditions.

The Arctic char is almost a pure Arctic fish. It is one of the northernmost living fishes in the world and is found all around the Arctic. In southern parts, such as in Scotland or in the Alps it is only found in deep and cold mountain lakes. The Arctic char is found in lakes all around Iceland.

The searun variety spend up to two months in the sea during summer but return to freshwater during the winter. This applies to all ages, not only the mature fish as for salmon. The salmon heads for the open ocean far out at sea during its ocean life, but the Arctic char stays in inshore waters, where it feeds mainly on gammarids and other prey.

Catch and fishing gear

The Arctic char used to be an important food fish in Iceland. While gillnets for cod in the ocean are rather recent phenomena, the gillnets have been used in freshwater lakes and rivers for centuries to fish trout and salmon. Commercial fisheries are still conducted for Arctic char on a low scale, but its value in aquaculture and for the recreational fisheries is much more important. The total catches are not known as they are conducted by thousands of people in hundreds of lakes and rivers all around Iceland.

Aquaculture

The Arctic char has been popular in aquaculture recently and might be the species best suitable for aquaculture in Iceland; more on that in the pages on aquaculture.

Processing and markets

Wild Arctic char is mostly consumed by the fishers or locally. It is either eaten fresh or smoked. Smoking is especially popular, but fresh char is also a delicacy in restaurants.

References and further information

References: (Jónsson & Pálsson, 2006).

For full citation and further information on the main species in general see this page

Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson, University of Akureyri