See also:

Peel River Ice Bridge
 
Road traffic
 
Peel River fish harvest

Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op

What is happening?

• There is no obvious trend over time in the pattern of the ferry operation season. The dates of ferry service in 2006 were very close to the long term average with service starting June 2nd and ending on October 26th.
• Over the last 27 years, the average date that the Peel River ferry service begins is June 2nd and the average end date is October 24. The length of the season averages 144 days.
• The shortest season occurred in 1980 (125 days).
• The longest ferry seasons were in 1994 and 1995 with season lengths of 155 days in both years.

Why is it happening?

• Weather conditions in the river basin determine when spring break-up occurs and when ice starts to run in the river in fall. Long-term changes in these weather conditions should influence the length of the season for both ferry service and ice roads.

Why is it important?

• The timing of spring break-up and of winter freeze-up influences many parts of the ecosystem, including animal movements and river habitat conditions. These dates also have an economic impact on people living in the Delta as transportation costs change dramatically when the rivers cannot be crossed.

Technical Notes

• The data presented here only go back as far as 1980 and we have limited information for the years 1975-1979. Data provided by Government of Northwest Territories Department of Transportation.