UKCEH scientists are part of the new Lake District Charr Recovery & Management project (LD-CHARM) which is gathering evidence to protect and restore Arctic charr populations in Windermere and other lakes in the surrounding catchment.
UKCEH scientists are part of the new Lake District Charr Recovery & Management project (LD-CHARM) which is gathering evidence to protect and restore Arctic charr populations in Windermere and other lakes in the surrounding catchment.
The Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) is a cold-water salmonid species which, in the Lake District, is near the southern extent of its natural distribution. Populations in the region are thought to have declined substantially in recent decades due to threats including invasive non-native species (principally the ruffe, which can eat the eggs of other fish), habitat degradation, pollution and climate change, but their current status is poorly understood.
The cultural significance of Arctic charr populations in the English Lake District dates back hundreds of years. Led by the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA), the LD-CHARM project was awarded funding from Natural England's Species Recovery Programme to support research that could save this locally iconic species from extinction in England.
Read More: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Members of the LD-CHARM team including UKCEH scientists aboard the John Lund research vessel on Windermere (Photo Credit: Louise Lavictoire/FBA)
