The following table summarizes the availability of information for each Habitat and Species indicator.

¹ Qualifiers for the availability of local and Indigenous Knowledge observations in publicly available sources: Limited = 1-2 observations; Some = 3-4 observations; Many = 5 or more observations
² Qualifiers for the availability of science data in publicly available sources: Low = Individual studies or locations; Many = Network of monitoring stations across the basin

Observations of declines in some fish stocks have been recorded, although traditional harvesters have generally described plentiful fish populations in the lower Peel watershed. In one study, Gwich’in fishers recounted that they see fewer fish overall than in the past, however, this sentiment was not shared by all study participants. Fish runs are increasingly difficult for the Gwich’in to predict, and over the last 5 to 10 years there is growing uncertainty about when to catch certain fish species.

Salmon fishing by members of Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation has decreased in recent years in response to observed declines in preferred salmonid species. A preliminary scientific assessment of fisheries in the Peel River watershed in 2006 documented 24 fish species, including highly valued sport and subsistence fish, such as Dolly Varden char (Salvelinus malma), chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) and various types of whitefish. This report concluded that little development of any kind has impacted the Peel River watershed and, from a fish habitat perspective, it can therefore be considered nearly “pristine”.

Changes in fish health condition have been observed by the Gwich’in in the Mackenzie and Peel Rivers, including white spots on fish livers, abnormal growths and tumours, and more scars and scabs on fish skin. Fish with softer skin are commonly observed, which some Gwich’in fishers attribute to warmer water temperatures. Members of Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation harvested fish in poor health condition and fish with a mushier texture in recent years.

The Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) in the Peel River and its tributaries is listed as a Canadian “species of special concern”. This designation means that the species may become threatened or endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. In this case these are its very limited area of occupancy and thus high susceptibility to overexploitation and habitat impacts (e.g., climate change). Dolly Varden populations declined from 1972 to 1998 in Big Fish River, a western tributary to the Mackenzie Delta. A high variability with a general decline in population were observed in the Rat River, a tributary of the Husky Channel in the Mackenzie Delta, from 1995 to 2008. In the latter, occasional overharvest and loss of spawning and overwintering habitat through desiccation in unusually warm, dry years were cited as possible reasons for the population decline. The Gwich’in identified declines in Rat River Dolly Varden Char stocks in the 1980s and a population crash in 2004 which were primarily attributed to overharvesting and a former practice of setting nets across critical migration waterways.

A significant decline in muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) abundance relative to population levels in the 1960s and 1980s has been reported by several Gwich’in communities. In the last 5 to 10 years, Gwich’in trappers from Fort McPherson and Aklavik witnessed the disappearance of muskrat in the upper Mackenzie River Delta. Trappers attribute the reduced muskrat populations to declines in habitat quality, competition with other wildlife such as otters (Lutra canadensis) and beavers (Castor canadensis), and hydrologic changes that are unfavourable for muskrats, such as lower water levels and changing flood patterns.

The overall coverage of wetlands in the Peel sub-basin is likely small (estimated 1%, see Land Cover statistics, supported by an independent estimate of 0.8%). Many wetlands on the Peel Plateau are “perched” near rivers carved in the plateau, providing valuable staging and stop-over sites for the waterfowl migratory pathway for birds traveling east or west between the Yukon and Mackenzie river basins. Examples of such wetlands are Turner Lakes, Jackfish Lakes, Tabor Lakes, and Chappie Lakes. A Canadian Wetland inventory completed recently indicates more wetland land cover than that estimated by land cover mapping cited above, but is still under development and requires field-validation.

*

Documented sources of information on the number, location and total area of riparian forest was not found.