Inuvik (Sep 04/06) - Arctic char populations in the Delta have dropped 71 per cent in six years.

This was the conclusion reached by the Gwich'in Renewable Resource Board and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) after a study examining three rivers.

Robert Charlie, chair of the Gwich'in board, said the situation is very serious.

He said a study conducted six years ago found 12,000 char living in the Peel, Husky and Rat rivers.

Last year, only 3,500 char were found.

In an effort to preserve the char's numbers, the board is pleading with people to stop fishing in the three rivers.

Charlie said the temporary break might allow char to spawn in larger numbers and repopulate the area.

While there are many reasons for the char's decline, Charlie said fishers are partly to blame.

"It's a combination of different things: Harvesting and habitat degradation," he said.

In addition to people overfishing char - which is perhaps a result of recent hunting limits on caribou, which force people to supplement their diet with other meats, Charlie explained that melting permafrost could be negatively changing the habitat.

While the board's recommendation is not legally binding - meaning those who ignore the request cannot be charged by wildlife officers - Charlie said he is confident people will agree to stop fishing for a while.

"Most people are complying," he said. "It's a voluntary issue. If it becomes a matter of conservation it might be enforceable in the future."

For many people like Arlene Carmichael of Aklavik, the suspension has affected long-standing family traditions.

Arlene's father, John Carmichael, is chief monitor for the board on the Husky River and works under the DFO in the area.

Though he is 74, she said he still goes on month-long monitoring trips to assess char populations.

Arlene said her family has harvested char from Husky River for the past 30 years but they won't do it anymore until the Gwich'in board gives its OK.

"I hope they return but I don't know. Even now, (the char) are barely starting to run," she said.

Charlie said the board will meet in Tsiigehtchic on Sept. 15 to discuss the moratorium.

He said it is possible the ban will be extended to next year or longer - until the char stocks reach sustainable levels.

"Obviously, things like climate change are beyond the control of local people, but the one thing we can work on is overfishing," he said.

Carmichael said the ban is unfortunate, but necessary.

"You can tell there are fewer (fish)," she said, adding char now run in September instead of August - a detail she remembers from childhood.

While she said she will miss the feeling of pulling in a net full of char, Carmichael said it will not seriously affect her family's food supply.

"Char is more of a delicacy. We still have coney and whitefish," she said.