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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

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In additi<strong>on</strong>, some sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> (e.g., Harris<strong>on</strong> <strong>River</strong> fish) can be exposed tosediment-associated c<strong>on</strong>taminants through the c<strong>on</strong>sumpti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> benthic invertebratesduring early rearing in areas that are dominated by benthic producti<strong>on</strong> (e.g., sloughs inthe Lower <strong>Fraser</strong> <strong>River</strong> Area <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Interest). Numerical sediment quality guidelinesprovide a basis for assessing the effects <strong>on</strong> benthic invertebrates and other aquaticorganisms associated with exposure to sediment-associated chemicals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potentialc<strong>on</strong>cern. A hierarchical approach was employed to compile toxicity screening valuesfor use in this assessment. C<strong>on</strong>sensus-based threshold effect c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s(MacD<strong>on</strong>ald et al. 2000a, MacD<strong>on</strong>ald et al. 2000b) were chosen as toxicity screeningvalues for some metals, PAHs, sum PCBs, and organochlorine pesticides. Interimsediment quality guidelines promulgated by CCME (1999) were selected for thec<strong>on</strong>taminants for which c<strong>on</strong>sensus-based threshold effect c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> values havenot been developed. The BCMOE Compendium <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Working Water Quality Guidelinesfor sediments (Nagpal et al. 2006) and the peer-reviewed literature (e.g., MacD<strong>on</strong>ald1994) was used to further identify threshold effect c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>-type values for use inthe screening-level assessment.A4.3.4 Compilati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> Water Quality, Sediment Quality, and Tissue ToxicityThresholds for the Evaluati<strong>on</strong> <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> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> C<strong>on</strong>cernToxicity Thresholds for Water - A total <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 17 substances were identified asc<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern in water, based <strong>on</strong> the results <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the preliminary evaluati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potential c<strong>on</strong>cern and subsequent refinement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>c<strong>on</strong>cern list. For each <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> these substances, toxicity thresholds for sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> orother salm<strong>on</strong>id fishes were estimated using data and informati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tained in thepublished literature. More specifically, compilati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the available toxicity data(such is c<strong>on</strong>tained within substance-specific water quality guidelines and water qualitycriteria documents) were reviewed to support identificati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the toxicity thresholds foreach c<strong>on</strong>taminant <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern in water. The sockeye salm<strong>on</strong>-specific orsalm<strong>on</strong>id-specific toxicity thresholds were established using the following procedures:• For substances for which the toxicity screening value used in thepreliminary evaluati<strong>on</strong> was based <strong>on</strong> toxicity data for n<strong>on</strong>-salm<strong>on</strong>idspecies (i.e., data <strong>on</strong> the toxicity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the substance to aquatic plants,invertebrates, n<strong>on</strong>-salm<strong>on</strong>id fishes, or amphibians), toxicity thresholdsfor evaluating the c<strong>on</strong>taminants <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern in sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> wereestablished using <strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the following procedures:1. Identify the lowest median lethal c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> (LC 50 ) obtained in atoxicity test c<strong>on</strong>ducted <strong>on</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> or another salm<strong>on</strong>idspecies that extended for at least 96 hours. The lowest LC 50 wasthen multiplied by a safety factor <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 0.1, in accordance with CCME(1999) procedures;2. Identify the lowest effective c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> (i.e., EC 25 -type value) fora n<strong>on</strong>-lethal endpoint obtained in a toxicity test c<strong>on</strong>ducted <strong>on</strong>A-38

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