Arctic Char

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Britain’s char arrived about 12,000 years ago, as the ice sheets retreated, and they have stayed in the same cold lakes ever since. Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) is a freshwater charr, related to trout and salmon but not a trout. In the UK it lives in deep, cold lakes, mainly in Scotland, North Wales and the Lake District.

You will also see it spelt “charr”, especially by scientists and conservation bodies. Both spellings mean the same fish.

This guide covers how to identify Arctic char, where it lives in England, Wales and Scotland, what the rules say about char fishing in the UK, and why any char you catch should go back quickly.

What Is Arctic Char? A Charr, Not a Trout

Most UK anglers will never see an Arctic char, because the fish has been stuck in a handful of deep lakes since the last ice age.

Arctic char belong to the genus Salvelinus, the charrs, which sit in the salmon family alongside trout and salmon. They moved into British waters as the ice retreated and were left in deep, cold lakes as the climate warmed, according to the Wild Trout Trust.

That is why every Arctic char in the UK is freshwater-resident. Sea-run char occur only far to the north, above about 65 degrees N.

The Wild Trout Trust counts about 340 populations across the British Isles, mainly in deep lakes in Scotland, Ireland, North Wales and the Lake District. Some lakes hold two to four separate populations, and Windermere is one of them.

Char are also the main prey of ferox trout. They share their lakes with brown trout and other UK game fish, so knowing how to tell them apart matters.

How to Identify Arctic Char vs Brown Trout and Salmon

A silvery fish comes up from deep water on a Lake District lake, gets logged as “a trout”, and nobody ever knows it was a char.

Char only stand out for part of the year. The clearest feature is in the Welsh name, torgoch, which means “red belly”: breeding males turn red underneath and develop a hooked lower jaw (a kype). Females stay silver, which is where the confusion starts.

Habitat rules out salmon and sea trout, but not brown trout. In the UK, Arctic char live only in deep, cold lakes, while sea trout and Atlantic salmon run up rivers from the sea. Brown trout share the char lakes, so location will not separate those two. If sea trout and salmon are the problem, see our guide to sea trout vs salmon.

Feature	Arctic char	Sea trout and salmon
UK habitat	Deep, cold lakes only	Rivers and the sea
Sea-run in the UK	No	Yes

For spots and fins, use our fish identification guide.

If you catch a red-bellied or unfamiliar silvery fish from deep water in a char lake, photograph it in the water or on a wet mat and treat it as a char.

Where Arctic Char Live in the UK: England, Wales and Scotland

Every Arctic char population in England sits inside one national park. The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) confirms that all English populations are in the Lake District.

Nation	Where char are found	Who to ask about fishing
England	Lake District only, best known in Windermere and Coniston	Environment Agency, plus the lake’s owner or ticket holder
Wales	Deep lakes in North Wales, where char are called torgoch	Natural Resources Wales, plus the fishery
Scotland	Deep lochs, a main stronghold for British char	The fishery owner, permit seller or local angling club

England’s range has already shrunk. The FBA reports that a spawning group in the River Brathay is thought to have been lost.

In Wales, char are confined to deep lakes in the north. We could not confirm individual lakes from an official source, so check which waters hold char, and the rules on each, with Natural Resources Wales and the fishery.

In Scotland, deep lochs are one of the main homes of British char, according to the Wild Trout Trust. Permissions vary from loch to loch.

Wherever you plan to look for Arctic char in the UK, check with the fishery before you travel.

Windermere Char: England’s Oldest Char Fishery

Char have been fished on Windermere since at least 1223, yet only a small rod fishery survives today.

A study published through NERC traces the history. A commercial net fishery was running by 1660, and netting ended in 1921. What remains is a small recreational plumb-line fishery, with artificial lures fished deep from a boat on weighted lines.

Windermere is England’s largest natural lake, about 64 m deep, according to the FBA’s Windermere charr project. Its char sit at the southern edge of the species’ range, so changes in water temperature or quality hit them hard.

The lake holds two spawning groups:

Autumn spawners: November, on shallow grounds of 1 to 3 m.
Spring spawners: February and March, at 12 to 15 m.

If you are on the water in November, keep away from shallow, stony spawning grounds.

Coniston Water has a char tradition too. In 2020 the Wild Trout Trust auctioned a one-off guided charr fishing day there. It was a single event, not an ongoing offer.

	Then	Now
Method	Commercial nets	Plumb-line lures
Scale	Commercial	Small and recreational
Stock	Enough to net	Declining

Before targeting Windermere char, ask the Environment Agency and the lake’s owner or ticket holder what applies.

Can You Fish for Arctic Char in the UK? Licences and Rules

Yes. Arctic char are not legally protected, but you still need the right licence and permission, and local rules may be stricter.

Char do not appear on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the list of animals with species-level protection. Vendace and whitefish, two other rare lake fish, are listed, but they are different species.

In England and Wales, GOV.UK says you need a rod licence to fish with rod and line for salmon, trout, freshwater fish, smelt or eel. Char are not named, but as a freshwater fish they fall within that. Under-13s need no licence, and 13 to 16 year olds need a free junior licence.

You must also follow national and local byelaws and have the landowner’s permission. See our fishing licence guide to buy one.

Wales is the one nation where char have their own statutory season. Natural Resources Wales sets brown trout and Arctic charr open seasons of 3 March to 30 September on a list of named lakes, and 20 March to 17 October on most other stillwaters. Seasons can change, so check the NRW page before you go.

We found no char-specific byelaw for Windermere, Coniston or Scottish waters. That does not mean none exists, so ask first and check close seasons for the water you fish.

Nation	Licence	Who confirms local rules
England	Rod licence	Environment Agency and the ticket holder
Wales	Rod licence, plus the NRW charr season	Natural Resources Wales and the ticket holder
Scotland	Ask the fishery	The fishery owner, board or club

Whether you may keep a char is set locally by byelaws and fishery rules. The next section explains why returning it is the better choice either way.

Why UK Char Are in Trouble and How to Treat One You Catch

Globally, the IUCN rates Arctic char as Least Concern. In England and Wales they are rated Endangered, and GB and Scottish populations Vulnerable, according to the FBA (Lavictoire et al., May 2025).

On Windermere, the FBA links a 20-year decline to warming water, nutrient enrichment and invasive roach, with a risk of local extinction. FBA scientist Simon Johnson describes char and ferox trout as predator and prey that evolved together, so the ferox depend partly on the char.

Research methods have changed for the same reason. Gill netting killed almost every fish caught, so the FBA’s LD-CHARM project now uses non-lethal eDNA and sonar.

If you catch a char, keep it wet, unhook it quickly in the water or over a wet mat, and release it fast, especially if it has come up from deep water and is struggling. Leave spawning grounds alone in season. Our catch and release guide covers handling in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

Is Arctic char protected in the UK?

No, not by species-level law. Arctic char are not listed on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. They are rated Endangered in England and Wales and Vulnerable in Scotland, and local rules apply. Wales sets an open season for charr, so check with Natural Resources Wales or the fishery.

Do you need a rod licence to fish for char?

In England and Wales, yes. Char are freshwater fish, so the rod licence applies. Under-13s need no licence and 13 to 16 year olds need a free junior licence. You also need landowner permission. In Scotland, ask the fishery owner.

Where can you catch Arctic char in the UK?

In the Lake District (best known in Windermere and Coniston), deep lakes in North Wales and deep lochs in Scotland. Tickets and rules vary from water to water, so check with the fishery before you travel.

Is char the same as trout?

No. Arctic char are a charr (genus Salvelinus), related to trout and salmon but a separate fish. Breeding males have a red belly and a hooked jaw. See the identification section on this page and our fish identification guide.