A WEEK or two ago I was asked for some observations about the Arctic Charr, a fish which occurs in the Lake District, especially in the depths of Windermere.

These days we talk about Global Warming and yet we are just recovering from the last Ice Age. The icy grip began to slacken in what is now the British Isles around 7,000 years ago.

The Charr is related to the salmon and is found in rivers around the Arctic Ocean. It breeds in fresh waters and the young then migrate to the ocean to mature.

During the colder times the char spawned in fresh water and then worked their way to the sea. When glaciers melted, rocks and debris blocked the entrances of what were once huge rivers. The charr was then trapped. Over the years its life cycle has adapted. It now spawns in the mountain streams and the young move down to Windermere. They then spend several years growing their body fat deep down in the lake where it is cold. Being a member of the salmon family, the Charr is good to eat and local fishermen catch them by means of weighted hooks which are trawled in the deep waters. On Windermere you can still see men in rowing boats fishing for charr.

There are shops selling tins of charr products and its life history is fully explained in the aquarium set alongside Lakeside pier.