2 August, 1999

Aloha from the North Shore,

Today I spent in my classroom cleaning and organizing in preparation for my being absent the first two weeks of school. Tomorrow I will be at the University of Hawaii-Manoa for two to three days to finish our preparations to go to Greenland. I recevied some mail and so will attempt to answer the question.

Hi Shelia, Your question was, if the arctic charr spawn in the same manner as salmon? Looking at the information I have, there is nothing on charr specifically as to spawning habits. The Alaskan charr, which are resident in lakes, are thought to spawn every other year after reaching maturity at an age of 6-9 years. "Spawning usually occurs from August through October... probably over steep broken substrates or gravel shoals at sufficient depth to be protected from winter ice", says Fred DeCicco from the Alaskan Department of Fish and Game. The information I have on the northern region charr is that then spawn in September through October and that the eggs incubate under cover of the ice. Hatching takes place in April and the young emerge when the ice breaks up. Most northern region charr first migrate to the sea after two years in freshwater. Thank you question and for your interest in our project. I have included some pictures of the Arctic charr for you.

Aloha for now.

Picture of an Alaskan charr closeup.

Picture of an Inuit fisherman in Greenland catching char with a three pronged spear. Photo taken from Time Life books, People of the Ice and Snow.