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Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

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limitati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> the available data make it difficult to answer this questi<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>clusively, theresults <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this study suggest that the exposure to c<strong>on</strong>taminants in surface water, sediments,or fish tissues is not the primary factor influencing the productivity or abundance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>Fraser</strong><strong>River</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong>. However, it is a str<strong>on</strong>g possibility that exposure to thec<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern and/or uncertain c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern (i.e., endocrinedisrupting compounds and c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> emerging c<strong>on</strong>cern) has c<strong>on</strong>tributed to thedecline <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> abundance in the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin over the past 20 years.The pathways through which such effects <strong>on</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> could be expressed include:• Decreased egg to fry survival due to exposure to suspended and depositedsediment during incubati<strong>on</strong>;• Decreased fry to smolt survival due to reduced productivity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> nursery lakes inresp<strong>on</strong>se to lower returns <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> adult sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> (i.e., depressed nutrientdelivery from the marine envir<strong>on</strong>ment);• Decreased smolt survival due to exposure to toxic chemicals (such as metalsand phenols) during downstream migrati<strong>on</strong>;• Immunosuppressi<strong>on</strong> due to exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds (suchas PAHs, PCBs, PBDEs) during smolt outmigrati<strong>on</strong> and associated increasedsusceptibility to infecti<strong>on</strong> by disease agents;• Reduced ability to adapt to c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s in marine ecosystems due to exposure toendocrine disrupting compounds (such as APEOs and associated metabolites)during smolt outmigrati<strong>on</strong>, an effect that is likely enhanced by increasedsusceptibility to infecti<strong>on</strong> by disease agents;• Reduced survival <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> eggs due to magnificati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> persistent,bioaccumulative, and toxic c<strong>on</strong>taminants (such as PCBs, PCDDs, and PCDFs)in g<strong>on</strong>ad tissues during upstream migrati<strong>on</strong>. This effect is likely to be mostsevere for those stocks that travel the l<strong>on</strong>gest distances during upstreammigrati<strong>on</strong>; and/or,• Increased en-route and/or pre-spawning mortality associated with theinteractive effects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> compromised immunocompetance (resulting fromexposure to endocrine disrupting compounds), elevated water temperatures,and infecti<strong>on</strong> by disease agents during upstream migrati<strong>on</strong>.139

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