11.07.2015 Views

Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Chapter 3 Inventory <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Aquatic <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>taminants</str<strong>on</strong>g>3.0 Introducti<strong>on</strong>There are a wide variety <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> land and water use activities that have the potential toadversely affect aquatic habitats within the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin. Such anthropogenicactivities have the potential to release a diversity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>taminants into the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> andits tributaries. To identify the substances that could be causing or substantiallyc<strong>on</strong>tributing to the declines <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> in the study area, a review <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the literaturewas c<strong>on</strong>ducted to document land and water use activities and to identify the c<strong>on</strong>taminantsthat are typically associated with each land and water use. This informati<strong>on</strong> was thenintegrated to identify the substances that could be adversely affecting the survival, growth,or reproducti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> in the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin. The resultant compilati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>chemicals that pose potential threats to sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> was termed the Inventory <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>Aquatic <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>taminants</str<strong>on</strong>g> for the watershed. This chapter describes the sources and releases<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>taminants to the aquatic ecosystems c<strong>on</strong>tained within the basin and integrates therelevant informati<strong>on</strong> to develop the Inventory <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Aquatic <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>taminants</str<strong>on</strong>g>.3.1 Sources and Releases <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>taminants</str<strong>on</strong>g> to Aquatic EcosystemsThere are a number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> natural and anthropogenic sources <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> toxic and bioaccumulativesubstances in the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin. Natural sources <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> such substances includeweathering and erosi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> terrestrial soils, bacterial decompositi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> vegetati<strong>on</strong> andanimal matter, and l<strong>on</strong>g-range transport <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> substances originating from forest fires or othernatural combusti<strong>on</strong> sources. In additi<strong>on</strong> to these natural sources, there are a number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>anthropogenic point and n<strong>on</strong>-point sources <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> toxic and/or bioaccumulative substanceswithin the <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Basin, including:Point Sources• Pulp and paper mills;• Sawmills, plywood mills, and particle board mills;• Wood preservati<strong>on</strong> facilities;• Cement and c<strong>on</strong>crete plants;• Seafood processing facilities;• Operating and aband<strong>on</strong>ed mines;12

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!