Snorkeling to monitor Ingenika River Arctic Grayling abundance
This project will apply a standardized snorkeling survey methodology to index reaches of the Ingenika River to estimate Arctic Grayling abundance. An Ingenika snorkeling survey for grayling was designed and implemented in 2004. The methodology, index reaches, and recommendations for crew size and time budget are detailed in Cowie and Blackman (2012). This project will establish surveys in new reaches, as well as a preliminary time series for estimating trend. This project aligns with the FWCP’s Arctic Grayling synthesis report and monitoring framework, which identifies that the lack of population abundance monitoring since 2007 is one of six key gaps limiting the ability to assess Arctic Grayling conservation status, or to design and implement conservation and enhancement measures.
Final report: executive summary
The Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus) is an especially coveted and sought-after sustenance species for the Tsay Keh Dene Nation. Since flooding, Arctic Grayling have disappeared from at least 25 tributaries to Williston Reservoir, and remnant populations are restricted to just six major watersheds containing sufficient habitat for Arctic Grayling to complete their life cycle: Parsnip, Nation, Omineca, Mesilinka, Finlay, and Ingenika. These populations are thought to be isolated from each other by the reservoir, and are referred to as core areas (putative metapopulations). This study assesses the status of the Arctic Grayling population remaining in the Ingenika core area, a watershed of critical interest to the nearby community of Tsay Keh Dene, and confirms critical summer rearing habitats for the population.
Click the provincial database link below to read the full final report for this project.