Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

• Coordination among government agencies and regulated interests should beimproved to ensure the requisite data are being collected and are compiled intoa single database or multiple databases that are compatible;• Focussed research programs should be designed and implemented to fillspecific data gaps relative to the toxicity <strong>of</strong> endocrine disrupting compoundsand contaminants <strong>of</strong> emerging concern. As jurisdictions around the world havean interest in better understanding the effects <strong>of</strong> these contaminants on aquaticorganisms, international collaboration on such research programs is stronglyrecommended;• Studies should be conducted to evaluate the interactive effects <strong>of</strong> contaminants(such as endocrine disrupting compounds), disease agents, and/or watertemperatures on sockeye salmon during outmigration <strong>of</strong> smolts and upstreammigration <strong>of</strong> adults. Such studies should be conducted under a regionalcumulative effects assessment program that is explicitly designed to evaluatethe impacts <strong>of</strong> multiple disturbance activities within the river basin. Whiletraditional approaches to effects assessment (such as laboratory toxicity testsand field studies) will continue to be important, it is likely that more sensitivetests will be needed to detect sub-lethal effects on sockeye salmon associatedwith exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds and/or contaminants <strong>of</strong>emerging concern. In this application, toxicogenomic approaches may berelevant for evaluating toxicant effects on gene expression (See Appendix 3 formore information); and,• A screening survey should be conducted upstream and downstream <strong>of</strong> fishprocessing plants to evaluate the presence <strong>of</strong> sockeye salmon diseaseorganisms during and following peak salmon (sockeye and other species)processing periods to determine if exposure to diseases from these sources is afactor in the long-term decline <strong>of</strong> Fraser River sockeye salmon.141