Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

eleased to aquatic ecosystems due to accidental spills. Nevertheless, data were retrievedfrom the B.C. Ministry <strong>of</strong> Environment’s Provincial Emergency Program through theirDangerous Goods Incident Reports for March to June 2007 (Figure 3.11; Table 3.14).These data were explicitly targeted to determine if a major spill occurred in 2007 duringthe period that outmigrant smolts were likely present in the Lower Fraser River (i.e., todetermine if a major incident occurred that could explain poor returns <strong>of</strong> sockeye salmonto the river in 2009). None <strong>of</strong> the spills reported in 2007 (March - June) were <strong>of</strong> sufficientvolume to result in water quality degradation or sufficient to adversely affect the entireyear class <strong>of</strong> outmigrating sockeye salmon smolts.Based on experience in conducting contaminated site assessments and evaluations <strong>of</strong>accidental spills, it is likely that the following contaminants have been released into theFraser River or its tributaries from one or more contaminated sites or accidentalcontaminant spills:• Nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, ammonia);• Metals (e.g., aluminum, arsenic, barium, boron, cadmium, copper, chromium,iron, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, zinc);• Cyanide;• Organotins (tributyltin);• Phenolic compounds (phenol, cresol);• Chlorinated phenolics (e.g., pentachlorophenol);• Monoaromatic hydrocarbons (i.e., BTEX);• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (i.e., parent PAHs, alkylated PAHs, totalPAHs);• Creosote;• Petroleum hydrocarbons (e.g., oil and grease, diesel-range organics, alkanes);• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs);• Phthalate esters (e.g., BEHP);• Legacy organochlorine pesticides (e.g., aldrin, chlordane, DDTs, dieldrin,endrin, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide, lindane); and,• Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenz<strong>of</strong>urans.29