Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus) Bycatch in Northern Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) Gillnet Fisheries

Connor W. Faulkner^1,*, Amanda L. Olsen¹, Bastien Rubin², Tyson Scott^1,3, David J. Yurkowski^1,3, Bonnie M. Hamilton⁴, James D. Roth³, Jennifer F. Provencher⁵, Mark L. Mallory⁶, and Les N. Harris¹

¹Arctic Fisheries and Marine Mammal Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada. ²Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes & Département de biologie, Université Laval, Québec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada. ³Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada. ⁴Department of Geography, Environment, and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, 60 University Private, Ottawa, ON K1N 8Z4, Canada. ⁵Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada. ⁶Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 33, Issue 2 (2026): N37–N44

First published early online: 24 May 2026

Abstract
As part of ongoing fisheries research in partnership with the communities of Rankin Inlet and Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, we observed 2 Vulpes lagopus (Arctic Fox) entangled in multi-panel and 139.7-mm mesh gillnets targeting Salvelinus alpinus (Arctic Char) set in a coastal, tidal zone (Rankin Inlet) and a freshwater lake (Sanikiluaq) on 2 separate dates and locations in summer 2025. To our knowledge, this is the first written and/or orally reported observation of Arctic Foxes being captured as inshore fisheries bycatch across their range. While these bycatch observations are infrequent, it highlights the need to document and monitor such occurrences as the Arctic continues to experience environmental and ecological change. Existing community-based monitoring initiatives, digital tools (e.g., SIKU), and interviews with local harvesters offer platforms to track and document previously unreported and emerging bycatch patterns across the Canadian Arctic.

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