Species that are considered uncertain risk need a more in-depth assessment beyond the Risk Summary to better define the species’ risk to U.S. environments.
Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) is a salmonid native throughout the northernmost arctic with both anadromous and freshwater populations, and has been widely introduced for human uses. One source stated that S. alpinus has probably been introduced into new locations since medieval times. The species is adapted to survive in many marine, freshwater, and brackish environments with depauperate fish communities, and is the only fish species present in some systems. S. alpinus can be infected with multiple OIE-reportable diseases. There are multiple recognized subspecies. The history of invasiveness is not documented. S. alpinus supports subsistence, commercial, and recreational fisheries. There are many records of introduction, mostly intentional, and some have resulted in established wild populations. One study suggested a possible impact from introduction on a food web but could not sufficiently rule out normal variation in the system as a cause for the observed impact. No other information on impacts of introduction was found. The climate match for the contiguous United States is high. The areas of highest match are in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and western plains, east of the Rocky Mountains. Certainty of this assessment is low due to the lack of information available on impacts of introduction. The overall risk assessment category is uncertain.
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Uncertain Risk
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