Fish Species of the NWT
For a complete list of fish species in the NWT please see Schedule I of the Northwest Territories Fishery Regulations.
Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus)
Arctic char have a dark green back that shades to silvery sides with eye-sized pale white/pink spots without halos. There are no spots on the tail. At spawning time the colours of both sexes become more brilliant, particularly in the male which turns a vivid orange-red. The males also develop a protruding, hooked lower jaw.
Anadromous (sea-run) forms of Arctic char are found from Victoria Island to Banks Island and along the mainland coast eastward from the Hornaday River. Land-locked lacustrine char overlap the range of anadromous Dolly Varden, west of the Mackenzie River.
Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus)
The Arctic grayling, also known as the bluefish, is a beautiful game fish with dark blue, pink and purple tones which have an iridescent sheen. A striking feature is the sail-like dorsal fin, which is especially pronounced in males.
Grayling are found throughout the mainland area of the NWT. It is particularly common in the Great Slave and Great Bear watersheds as well as the Mackenzie River and its tributaries.
Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus)
The back and upper sides of the Bull trout range from dark blue to olive green, with the lower sides being paler in colour. Small yellow, orange, or red spots mark the back and sides. Some spawning males develop bright red bellies and hooked lower jaws. Bull trout and Dolly Varden are very similar in colouration and are difficult to tell apart, especially smaller individuals. Bull trout, however, have a larger, broader, flatter head with eyes close to the top of the head, and a more rounded body.
Bull trout can be found in the Liard and Mackenzie watersheds in the Deh Cho and southern Sahtu. They are known to inhabit streams that flow out of the Mackenzie Mountains such as the Kotaneelee, the North and South Nahanni and Keele rivers.
Burbot (Lota lota)
Burbot, commonly known as loche, cod or mariah in the NWT, have distinctive features including an ovalshaped tail and a barbel under the chin. A master of camouflage, their colour can range from yellow, light brown, tan or olive to a medium/dark brown-green shade to almost black depending on the clarity of the water.
Burbot are plentiful and widespread in the mainland area of the NWT, found mostly in rivers and larger lakes. They are plentiful at the outflows of small streams in the Mackenzie Delta where they congregate in early winter to feed on a variety of forage fish.
Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma)
Dolly Varden and bull trout are very similar in colouration and are difficult to tell apart. However, Dolly Varden have more oval, laterally compressed bodies and their heads do not dominate their profile.
Dolly Varden can be found in the western Mackenzie Delta and the fast-flowing cold streams along the northern slope of the Richardson Mountains as well as upstream on the Peel River watershed. The anadromous form is present in the Beaufort Sea in summer.
Inconnu (Stenodus leucichthys)
Inconnu, commonly called coney in the NWT, somewhat resembles a very large herring with dark back, silvery sides and large scales. A mature coney can range from a half meter to over a meter in length. Inconnu is a member of the whitefish family.
Inconnu, common in the Mackenzie Delta, migrate upstream into the Peel, Arctic Red and Mackenzie rivers to spawn. Spawning runs of coney are also found further upstream in the Mackenzie in tributaries. Inconnu can be found in Great Slave Lake and tributary streams such as the Slave and Buffalo rivers where they spawn. They are occasionally caught in smaller streams such as the Hay River, Little Buffalo and Taltson River.
Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)
Lake trout range from light green or gray, to dark green, brown, or almost black with a light coloured belly. Their whole body including the dorsal, adipose and tail fins are covered with many light coloured spots.
Lake trout are wide-spread in the NWT including the Arctic Islands. They inhabit large lakes such as Great Slave and Great Bear where they support trophy fisheries. They are found in many Shield lakes as well as in deep lakes along the Mackenzie Valley and tundra lakes which extend to the Arctic coast.
Northern Pike (Esox lucius)
Also known as jackfish, pike have long bodies with dark green to brown colouration along their back. The sides are lighter with irregular rows of yellow to whitish bean-shaped spots which run lengthwise on the body. The dorsal or back fin is near the tail end of the body.
Pike can be found throughout most of the mainland NWT. They prefer warm, slow, heavily vegetated rivers and the warm, weedy bays of lakes.
Walleye (Sander vitreus vitreus)
Also known as pickerel or doré, the walleye is a member of the perch family. They have sharp teeth and two dorsal fins on their back, the front one supported by large, sharp spines. They vary in colour from olive-brown to golden brown to yellow with golden flecks on the scales and have a white belly. Their large, silvery eyes are very distinctive.
Walleye are found in the Mackenzie River watershed as far north as the delta. They are often plentiful in tributary streams of Great Slave Lake where they spawn and are sometimes found feeding throughout the summer. They are also plentiful in some inland lakes and rivers.
Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)
Lake whitefish have narrow silvery bodies which may shade to olivebrown or to almost black along the back dependant on water clarity. The snout overhangs the lower jaw; the head may appear small in larger fish which may develop a distinct hump behind the head.
Lake whitefish are found throughout the mainland area of the NWT. They occur in lakes but also are found in large rivers and are plentiful in the Mackenzie Delta. Spawning takes place in the fall over reefs in lakes and also in rivers.