Linking fisheries, food security, and health, to changing marine food webs in the Canadian Arctic

Arctic marine systems are undergoing major transformations driven by climate change. Marine food webs are shifting, with cascading effects on fisheries and coastal communities. Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) is one of the most harvested fish species in the Canadian Arctic, supporting commercial, subsistence, and sport fisheries. This circumpolar anadromous species migrates to the more productive oceans in the summer, to feed on abundant marine prey, resulting in high energy intake. The tight linkages between marine food webs, Arctic char, and fisheries play a critical role in sustaining culture and well-being in northern Canada’s coastal communities including as a source of healthy food. In this region where food insecurity is up to five times higher than Canada’s national average, there is a pressing need to understand how climate change may affect people’s ability to access marine foods and to inform sustainable management. In this research, Dr. Falardeau-Côté is assessing how changes in the ocean are impacting marine food webs, Arctic char fisheries, and key well-being dimensions that are linked to fisheries, especially food security and health in Nunavut and Nunavik.