Polar Outreach Catalogue

As key components of freshwater, estuarine, and nearshore marine aquatic environments of the circumpolar north, Arctic char and related fishes are fundamental to the lifestyles and well-being of northerners as the basis of extensive fisheries conducted for household food, commercial, and sport purposes. Chars are also key integrators and indicators of the health of northern aquatic ecosystems, many facets of which are at risk from increased climate variability and change. However, human adaptive responses are limited due to a lack of information concerning char thermal ecology, biodiversity and its functional significance in northern ecosystems, mercury interactions, and how those may respond to climate change. Out of this need grew the IPY- funded multidisciplinary project 'Climate Variability and Change (CVC) Effects on Char in the Arctic'. Scientific activities are linked with local knowledge under three major themes: 1) Research on climate effects and linkages to char biology, 2) Community-based monitoring approaches, and 3) Development of a network for char research linking communities and researchers both nationally and internationally. Training and capacity building within the scientific community, northerners, and developing tools for a follow-on legacy are also goals of this project.