We want to save one of England's rarest fish species, Arctic charr, from extinction. We will engage communities in the plight of their Arctic charr populations and prioritise habitat restoration activites to increase juvenile fish survival. This will kick-start the population recovery process.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
The Arctic charr is a rare species of freshwater fish found only in the Lake District in England. Once abundant in the cold, clean lakes and rivers in Cumbria, the species is now in sharp decline due to climate change, nutrient enrichment from human sources, over-exploitation and non-native species introductions. Many highly-adapted strains of the species are being lost in a silent extinction, and there is no coordinated plan to save the species in England.
Solution
We will investigate the factors affecting Arctic charr decline in the Lake District, focussing on the most imperilled population in England’s largest lake, Windermere. We will assess the quality of spawning habitat using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), investigate spawning ground use with environmental DNA (eDNA) methods, and examine the genetic make-up of the various Lake District populations to tell us whether captive breeding might be needed to save populations from extinction.
