Please see Non-Technical Project Proposal, attached in Documents, for English and Inuinnaqtun versions. Char are a key source of food in Inuit communities, and the Coppermine River has historically supported an important subsistence char fishery for the community of Kugluktuk. Since 2015, the Kugluktuk Hunters and Trappers Organization (HTO) and community members have observed a sharp decline in the fall run of migratory char, and the cause of this decline is unknown. The land is rising in relation to sea level in the Canadian Arctic, due to a process called isostatic rebound. This, combined with climate change, is resulting in lower stream flows which can hinder migratory fish such as char when they move from their spawning, rearing, and overwinter habitats in freshwater to their summer feeding habitats at sea. Kugluktuk community members have observed and expressed concern about fish stranding. However, neither local fishers nor scientists know where char spawn and overwinter in the Coppermine River or adjacent tributary lakes, so it is unknown whether fish strandings are resulting in the decline observed in the fishery. Through this project, the Swanson Lab at the University of Waterloo, in collaboration with the Kugluktuk HTO, will determine the migratory patterns and overwintering habitat of Arctic char. The study will focus on the waters near Kugluktuk, including the Coppermine (which passes through Kugluk Territorial Park), Rae, Richardson, and Kugaryuak Rivers, as well as Coronation Gulf. Project activities will begin in July 2018 and continue to October 2020, with approximately 45 days of fieldwork each year. The field team will be ten persons – four researchers and six community members, selected by the Kugluktuk HTO. Transportation to field sites will be by helicopter for approximately 20 hours each year. The remaining work will be done by HTO boat or by ATV to accessible sites near Kugluktuk. Tracking fish movement and habitat use will be done by capturing and tagging fish. Fish will be caught by a combination of netting (checked every hour so there are no fish mortalities) and angling. Fish will be immobilized using clove oil or a low electrical current, so they can be safely consumed if caught by humans or wildlife immediately following recovery. Two types of tags will be used: 13 satellite tags and 95 acoustic tags. The satellite tags will be attached externally to fish in July/August 2018. These tags will be programmed to detach from the fish after they have reached their overwintering habitat in late September 2018. The information from these tags will identify overwintering habitat and also help determine the most effective locations for the acoustic receivers. Half the 95 acoustic tags will be surgically implanted into fish in 2018, and the rest will be deployed in 2019. Twenty receivers will be installed in July 2018, and will record when a tagged fish passes within range, providing information on timing and locations of char migration. Fourteen of the receivers will be placed in shallow, river environments and will be retrieved in September of each year of the project and redeployed the following summer. The remaining six receivers will be placed in deeper lake or marine environments and will stay installed for the duration of the project. Receivers will be anchored using 5-gallon buckets filled with concrete, which will be removed at the end of the project so there are no materials remaining on site. Fish habitat use can also be determined by measuring the chemistry of otoliths (fish ear bones) and comparing the results to water chemistry. Water samples will be taken from areas around Kugluktuk that are identified as important habitat for char. Otoliths will be collected from fish caught for food by subsistence harvesters in Kugluktuk. Fin clips will also be collected from harvesters at the same time as the otoliths. DNA from the fin clips will be analyzed at the University of Waterloo to verify the species of char found in the Coppermine River and surrounding watersheds. At present, there are at least two known species of char in the Coppermine River – Lake char (Salvelinus namaycush) and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Northern Dolly Varden char (Salvelinus malma malma) are a federal species at risk, and there is some evidence that they may also be present in the area. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (Inuit knowledge) will be compiled from existing sources and interviews with knowledge holders conducted through the Kugluktuk HTO, on topics such as identification of streams with low flow and fish stranding, historically important char areas, and observed changes in char habitat use and migration. Inuit knowledge will be combined with scientific results from this project, and together the two knowledge systems will identify priority sites for coastal restoration of migratory char habitats, to be conducted in a project following the completion of this research project.