Arctic char stocks in Iceland’s rivers and lakes are being depleted

Warmer temperatures seem to be affected stocks of Arctic char in Iceland, scientists say.

“The big picture is that since the year 2000 there’s been a near constant depletion of Arctic char in rivers and lakes,” says Guðni Guðbergsson, marine specialist at the Iceland Marine Research Institute. Arctic char is a very close relative of the trout and salmon with pinky/orange meat and tastes very similar.

A similar course of events is taking place in Norway, according to an article in today’s Morgunblaðið.

The depletion of Arctic char stocks seems to be related to warmer temperatures and global warming. Temperatures in rivers in Iceland have also been rising since 2003, and winters are warmer than before.