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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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c<strong>on</strong>cern is intended to identify the substances that occur at c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong>s sufficient toadversely affect 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. For this reas<strong>on</strong>, it is necessary to establish toxicity thresholds (which are alsotermed toxicity reference values) for sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> that can be used to determine if thepresence <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>taminants in aquatic habitats within the study area could have caused orsubstantially c<strong>on</strong>tributed to declines in sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> productivity over the past twodecades. For the purpose <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>ducting a detailed analysis <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, a toxicity threshold is defined as the c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a c<strong>on</strong>taminant in water,sediment, or fish tissues above which adverse effects <strong>on</strong> survival, growth, or reproducti<strong>on</strong>are likely to be observed in sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> exposed for extended periods <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> time toenvir<strong>on</strong>mental media that c<strong>on</strong>tain the substance, either al<strong>on</strong>e or in complex mixtures <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>c<strong>on</strong>taminants.Toxicity 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>and subsequent refinement process (see Secti<strong>on</strong> 5.1). For each <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> these substances,toxicity thresholds for sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> or other salm<strong>on</strong>id fishes were estimated usingdata and informati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tained in the published literature. More specifically,compilati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the available toxicity data (such as c<strong>on</strong>tained within substance-specificwater quality guidelines and water quality criteria documents) were reviewed tosupport the identificati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> toxicity thresholds for each c<strong>on</strong>taminant <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>cern inwater. The sockeye salm<strong>on</strong>-specific or salm<strong>on</strong>id-specific toxicity thresholds wereestablished using the following procedures:• For substances for which the toxicity screening value used in the preliminaryevaluati<strong>on</strong> was based <strong>on</strong> toxicity data for n<strong>on</strong>-salm<strong>on</strong>id species (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>idfishes, or amphibians), toxicity thresholds for evaluating the potential effects <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> c<strong>on</strong>cern <strong>on</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> were established using <strong>on</strong>e <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> thefollowing procedures:1. Identify the lowest median lethal c<strong>on</strong>centrati<strong>on</strong> (LC 50) obtained in a toxicitytest c<strong>on</strong>ducted <strong>on</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> or another salm<strong>on</strong>id species thatextended for at least 96 hours. The lowest LC 50 was then multiplied by asafety 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., EC25-type value) for a n<strong>on</strong>lethalendpoint obtained in a toxicity test c<strong>on</strong>ducted <strong>on</strong> sockeye salm<strong>on</strong> oranother salm<strong>on</strong>id species that extended for at least 96 hours. The lowestEC was then multiplied by a safety factor <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 0.5;2559

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