Journal Article
Salmonids in hot water: An unprecedented warm‐water event in Labrador, a subarctic region of Canada
Emilie A. Geissinger; Travis E. Van Leeuwen; Nicholas Kelly; Curtis Pennell; Michelle G. Fitzsimmons; Steven Duffy; Rebecca Poole; Joey Angnatok; J. Brian Dempson; David Coté
Fisheries Management and Ecology · Vol. 31, Issue 5 · 2024
Abstract
Unprecedented warm river temperatures in July 2023 in Labrador, a subarctic region of Canada, were the highest since monitoring began (1994–2023) and ranged from 19.4°C (Hunt River) to 22.5°C (Eagle River). Incipient lethal water temperatures were exceeded for adult Atlantic salmon and brook trout (≥25°C) on 14 days in five of seven rivers and Arctic charr (≥24°C) on 17 days in six of seven rivers. Consequently, Labrador had the greatest number of angling restrictions and closures in 2023. Recent warming serves as a warning to fishery managers of regions historically unaffected by heat waves of the need to prepare action plans that mitigate the effects of a warming climate on fishes.