Biology of the Arctic Charr

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Arctic Charr

Lionel Johnson, Bonnie Burns, Lionel Johnson, Bonnie Burns

• Publisher: University of Manitoba Press
• Year: 1984
• eBook ISBN: 9780887550928
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Zoology
• Index: Biological Sciences

Proceedings of the International Symposium on Arctic charr held in Winnipeg, 4-8 May 1981, on the campus of the University of Manitoba.

Parasites And Arctic Charr Management — An Academic Curiosity Or Practical Reality?

TERRY A. DICK

Department of Zoology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg R3T 2N2

DICK, T.A. 1984. Parasites and Arctic charr management — an academic curiosity or practical reality? p. 371–394. In L. Johnson and B.L. Burns [eds.] Biology of the Arctic charr, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Arctic Charr, Winnipeg, Manitoba, May 1981. Univ. Manitoba Press, Winnipeg.

One hundred and seven species of parasite have been reported from charr throughout its range. Sixty-six species have been identified in charr from North America, 18 from Europe (Norway) and 69 from the U.S.S.R. Differences exist between the three regions of the world, most notable is the absence of acanthocephalans and protozoa from Norway with only one species of protozoan reported from North America. Most parasites found in Arctic charr utilize copepods and amphipods as intermediate hosts. Differences in the distribution of parasite species are pronounced in North America. Crepidostomum farionis has not been found in Arctic charr north of 70° north latitude and Diphyllobothrium prevalence and intensity decrease westward from Baffin Island; it is absent from Alaska and Labrador. Cystidicola is found in Arctic charr in the central and western part of North America only. Its absence in Baffin Island and Labrador is probably related to absence of lake trout and/or the intermediate host, Mysis. Parasite species of Arctic charr fall into two categories. One group is holarctic and includes C. farionis, Phyllodistomum sp., D. dendriticum, D. ditremum, Cystidicola sp., Philonema sp. and S. edwardsi. The second group contains those parasites that are at the most northern part of their hosts’ distribution ranges, generally in water bodies close to the Arctic Ocean or its connecting seas. These include Bonodera, Dipiostomum, Pelichnibothrium, Capillaria, Contracaecum, Cucullanus, Rhabdochona, Acanthobdella, Metechinorhynchus and Neoechinorhynchus. Trematodes in the Arctic are widely distributed in marine environments and are probably not holarctic in distribution; the one exception is B. crenatus which may utilize charr as one of its intermediate hosts. Charr are probably accidental hosts for the other species. Charr from neighbouring lakes in the Arctic may have quite different parasitofaunas. These differences appear to be related to the absence of the intermediate host or perhaps some lakes were initially populated by charr lacking certain parasites. The three likely candidates which could affect growth and mortality in Arctic charr are D. ditremum, D. dendriticum and Metechinorhynchus. Parasites as biological tags are useful in separating sea-run and non-migrating charr under certain situations, such as occur in the Nettilling Lake-Koukdjuak River. Good indicator species for this system were: Diphyllobothrium spp., E. salvelini and P. longicollis for non-migrating charr and B. crenatus, P. squamatus, and B. sturionis for sea-run charr. Two methods were used to separate the charr: presence or absence of six indicator species and a qualitative index for Diphyllobothrium cyst levels. Approximately 800 charr from the commercial catch were evaluated and found to contain approximately 20 percent non-migrating charr and 80 percent sea-run. The use of parasites as biological tags in other parts of the Arctic is difficult to predict because distribution of parasites is patchy. Each system must be evaluated separately.

Parasites affect men directly through infection with Diphyllobothrium, presumably D. dendriticum. Indirectly, parasites such as D. ditremum and D. dendriticum are known to affect charr growth and mortality. Metechihorhynchus and Cystidicola are also likely candidates but more work needs to be done. It is assumed that the relationship between charr and parasites is relatively stable for a given system but changes such as stocking, the connecting of several distinct aquatic systems or the introduction of intermediate hosts could drastically alter this stability by allowing the introduction of a “new” parasite(s).

Exploitation of charr tends to concentrate on sea-run charr for a number of reasons. This genetic selection process may be detrimental in the long run to a given population of charr.

INTRODUCTION

Publications by Margolis and Arthur (1979) and Bykhovskaya-Pavlovskaya et al. (1964) have produced valuable catalogues of parasites of fishes. However, studies by Beverley-Burton (1978), Butorina (1975), Curtis (1979), Dick and Belosevic (1981), Eddy and Lankester (1978), Jamieson and Freeman (1975), Mudry and McCart (1976), and a series of studies by Kennedy (1977, 197...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Organizing the Diversity of the Arctic Charr Complex
• Management of Allopatric and Sympatric Populations of Landlocked Arctic Charr in Sweden
• Ecological Characters of Different Combinations of Sympatric Populations of Arctic Charr in Sweden
• The Arctic Charr Speciation Problem as Seen From Northern Norway
• Anadromous, Resident and Landlocked Arctic Charr on the Coast of Finnmark, N. Norway
• Preliminary Survey Results of the Distribution of the Arctic Charr Species Complex in Iceland
• Life Histories of Arctic Chairs: An Epigenetic Explanation of Their Invading Ability and Evolution
• Identification of Anadromous Arctic Charr Stocks in Coastal Areas of Northern Labrador
• The Interactive Segregation of Landlocked Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) from Lake Charr (S. namaycush) and Brook Charr (S. fontinalis) in Two Lakes of Subarctic Quebec, Canada
• Nucleolytic Enzymes in White-Spotted Charr (Salvelinus leucomaenis)
• The Status and Biology of Arctic Charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.), in Scotland
• Habitat Selection and Segregation of Parr of Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus), Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) and Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.) in Two Streams in North Norway
• Life History Patterns of the Miyabe Charr in Shikaribetsu Lake, Japan
• Ecophysiological Adaptations of the Retina in the Arctic Charr
• Energetic Costs Associated with the Production of Gonads in the Anadromous Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) of the Nauyuk Lake Basin, Canada
• Management and Utilization of Arctic Charr in Norwegian Hydroelectric Reservoirs
• The Introduction of Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus salvelinus) in Nordrhein Westfalen (Federal Republic of Germany)
• Effects of Water Level Fluctuations on the Recruitment of Arctic Charr
• Solution to the “Charr Problem” based on Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in Norway (an abstract)
• Reproductive Strategy of Dwarf and Normal Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) from Vangsvatnet Lake, Western Norway (an abstract)
• Habitat and Food Segregation of Dwarf and Normal Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) from Vangsvatnet Lake, Western Norway (an abstract)
• Dwarf Populations of Arctic Charr in High-Mountain Lakes of the Alps Resulting from Under-Exploitation
• The Biology and Bioenergetics of Arctic Charr in Char Lake, N.W.T., Canada
• The Ecology and Management of the Arctic Charr in Lake Mývatn, North Iceland
• The Arctic Charr Sport Fishery at Tree River, Northwest Territories, Canada, 1964-78
• Commercial Processing of Charr in Canada’s Eastern Arctic
• Parasites and Arctic Charr Management — An Academic Curiosity or Practical Reality?
• Diphyllobothrium ssp. and the Arctic Charr: Parasite Acquisition and its Effects on a Lake-Resident Population
• Distribution and Biology of Swimbladder Nematodes, Cystidicola ssp. (Habronematoidea), in Charr, Salvelinus ssp.
• Cytotaxonomy of North American Salvelinus
• Management of the Commercial Fishery for Anadromous Arctic Charr in the Cambridge Bay Area, Northwest Territories, Canada
• The Selection of Arctic Charr Salvelinus alpinus L. by Nylon Gillnets
• The Charrs (Salvelinus alpinus) of Lake Constance, a Lake Undergoing Cultural Eutrophication
• The Management of Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) in Eutrophied Lake Zug
• Restoration of Charr Populations in Impounded Lakes in Scandinavia by Locally Applied Fertilization
• Experiments Towards Improving the Culture of Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.)
• Charr and Man: The Philosophy of Limited Interaction
• Charr Fisheries in Windermere, England, During the Past Four Hundred Years: Organization and Management
• Historical Development of the Arctic Charr Fishery in Northern Labrador
• Historical Evidence for the Introduction of Arctic Charr into High-Mountain Lakes of the Alps by Man
• Migration of Anadromous Dolly Varden Charr in Southeastern Alaska — A Manager’s Nightmare
• Food Size and Jaw Shape in Arctic Charr, Salvelinus alpinus
• The Seasonal Movements of Anadromous Arctic Charr at Nauyuk Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada
• Participants
• Back Cover