|
GAME FISH |
DESCRIPTION |
DISTRIBUTION IN THE NWT |
|
Arctic Char 
|
Arctic char have a dark green back that shades to
silvery sides with eye-sized pale white/pink spots without halos.
There are no spots on the tail. At spawning time the colours of both
sexes become more brilliant, particularly in the male which turns a
vivid orange-red. The males also develop a
protruding, hooked lower jaw. |
Anadromous (sea-run) forms of Arctic char are found
from Victoria Island to Banks Island and along the mainland coast
eastward from the Hornaday River. Land-locked lacustrine char
overlap the range of anadromous Dolly Varden, west of the Mackenzie
River. Dolly Varden is a similar species described below. |
| Arctic Grayling
 |
The Arctic grayling, also known as the bluefish, is a
beautiful game fish with dark blue, pink and purple tones which have
an iridescent sheen. A striking feature is the sail-like dorsal fin,
which is especially pronounced in males. |
Grayling are found throughout the mainland area of the NWT. It is
particularly common in the
Great Slave and Great Bear watersheds as well as the Mackenzie River
and its tributaries. |
|
Bull Trout
 |
The back and upper sides of the bull trout range from
dark blue to olive green, with the lower sides being paler in
colour. Small yellow, orange, or red spots mark the back and sides.
Some spawning
males develop bright red bellies and hooked lower jaws. Bull trout
and Dolly Varden are very similar
in colouration and are difficult to tell apart, especially smaller
individuals. Bull trout, however, have a larger, broader, flatter
head with eyes close to the top of the head, and a more rounded
body. |
Bull trout can be found in the Liard and Mackenzie
watersheds in the Deh Cho and southern Sahtu. They are known to
inhabit streams that flow out of the Mackenzie Mountains such as the
Kotaneelee, the North and South Nahanni and Keele rivers. |
| Burbot
 |
Burbot, commonly known as loche or mariah in the NWT,
have distinctive features including an
oval-shaped tail and a barbel under the chin. A master of
camouflage, their colour can range from yellow, light brown, tan or
olive to a medium/dark brown-green shade to almost black depending
on
the clarity of the water. |
Burbot are plentiful and widespread in the mainland area of the NWT,
found mostly in rivers and larger lakes. They are plentiful at the
outflows of small streams in the Mackenzie Delta where they
congregate in early winter to feed on a variety of forage fish. |
| Dolly Varden
 |
Dolly Varden and bull trout are very similar in
colouration and are difficult to tell apart. However,
Dolly Varden have more oval, laterally compressed bodies and their
heads do not dominate their
profile. |
Dolly
Varden can be found in the western Mackenzie Delta and the
fast-flowing cold streams along the northern slope of the Richardson
Mountains as well as upstream on the Peel River watershed. The
anadromous form is present in the Beaufort Sea in summer. |
| Inconnu
 |
Inconnu, commonly called coney in the NWT, somewhat
resembles a very large herring with dark back, silvery sides and
large scales. A mature coney can range from a half meter to over a
meter in length. Inconnu is a member of the whitefish family. |
Inconnu, common in the Mackenzie Delta, migrate upstream into the
Peel, Arctic Red and Mackenzie
rivers to spawn. Spawning runs of coney are also found further
upstream in the Mackenzie in tributaries such as the Bracket and
Liard rivers. Inconnu can be found in Great Slave Lake and tributary
streams such as the Slave and Buffalo rivers where they spawn. They
are occasionally caught in smaller streams such as the Hay River,
Little Buffalo and Taltson River. |
| Lake Trout
 |
Lake trout range from light green or gray, to dark
green, brown, or almost black with a light coloured
belly. Their whole body including the dorsal, adipose and tail fins
are covered with many light coloured spots. |
Lake
trout are wide-spread in the NWT including the Arctic Islands. They
inhabit large lakes such as Great Slave and Great Bear where they
support trophy fisheries. They are found in many Shield lakes as
well as in deep lakes along the Mackenzie Valley and tundra lakes
which extend to the Arctic coast. |
| Northern Pike
|
Also known as jackfish, pike have long bodies with
dark green to brown colouration along their
back. The sides are lighter with irregular rows of yellow to whitish
bean-shaped spots which run
lengthwise on the body. The dorsal or back fin is near the tail end
of the body. |
Pike can be found throughout most of the mainland
NWT. They prefer warm, slow, heavily vegetated rivers and the warm,
weedy bays of lakes. |
| Walleye
 |
Also known as pickerel or doré, the walleye is a
member of the perch family. They have sharp teeth and two dorsal
fins on their back, the front one supported by large, sharp spines.
They vary in colour from olive-brown to golden brown to yellow with
golden flecks on the scales and have a white belly. Their large,
silvery eyes are very distinctive. |
Walleye are found in the Mackenzie River watershed as
far north as the delta. They are often plentiful in tributary
streams of Great Slave Lake where they spawn and are sometimes found
feeding throughout the summer. They are also plentiful in some
inland lakes and rivers. |
| Lake Whitefish
 |
Lake whitefish have narrow silvery bodies which may
shade to olive-brown or to almost black along the back dependant on
water clarity. The snout overhangs the lower jaw; the head may
appear small in larger fish which may develop a distinct hump behind
the head. |
Lake whitefish are found throughout the mainland area
of the NWT. They occur in lakes but also are found in large rivers
and are plentiful in the Mackenzie Delta. Spawning takes place in
the fall over reefs in lakes and also in rivers. |
