Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

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analysis do not provide convincing evidence that the measured levels <strong>of</strong> contaminants <strong>of</strong>concern in surface water have played a major role in the recent declines in sockeye salmonabundance in the Fraser River Basin (Figure 5.3). While surface-water contaminant <strong>of</strong>concern concentrations in spawning and incubation habitats explained about eight percent<strong>of</strong> the variability in the freshwater productivity data, the relationship was not statisticallysignificant (Figure 5.3). For fry rearing habitats, smolt outmigration corridors, and adultupstream migration corridors, significant relationships between productivity and waterquality index scores were not observed or productivity declined with increasing waterquality index scores (i.e., improving water quality conditions; Figure 5.3).To further evaluate relationships between contaminant <strong>of</strong> concern exposure and sockeyesalmon productivity, the available data were compiled for the pre-1990 and post-1990period and the relationships between contaminant <strong>of</strong> concern concentrations and sockeyesalmon life-cycle productivity were determined. The results <strong>of</strong> these analyses show thatexposure to contaminants <strong>of</strong> concern in any <strong>of</strong> the four habitat types did not explain morethan seven percent <strong>of</strong> the variability in the productivity data for Fraser River sockeyesalmon for either the pre-1990 period or the post-1990 period (Figure 5.4). Therefore, itis likely that exposure to the contaminants <strong>of</strong> concern represented in the water qualityindex is not the most important factor influencing the abundance <strong>of</strong> sockeye salmon in thestudy area. Examination <strong>of</strong> the available productivity and contaminant exposure data on aconservation unit-specific basis (Figures 5.5 to 5.23) revealed a number <strong>of</strong> relationshipsthat are consistent with the expected pattern (e.g., Weaver outmigration for both periods,Birkenhead outmigration for both periods, Gates outmigration for post-1990, Portageoutmigration for both periods, Raft outmigration for pre-1990, Seymour outmigration forpre-1990, late Shuswap rearing for post-1990, Scotch rearing for pre-1990, Chilkooutmigration for both periods, late Stuart outmigration for post-1990, Stellako spawningfor pre-1990 and outmigration for post-1990, Nadina outmigration for post-1990, andBowron outmigration for post-1990). However, most <strong>of</strong> these relationships are notstatistically significant, do not explain much <strong>of</strong> the variability in the productivity data,and/or have limited range <strong>of</strong> the exposure variable (water quality index).In summary, the results <strong>of</strong> analyses <strong>of</strong> the available data do not implicate water qualityconditions as a major factor influencing trends in sockeye salmon abundance in the FraserRiver Basin. However, these results should be kept in perspective considering thelimitations on the available data. These data gaps and limitations are listed in Section 7.4<strong>of</strong> this document. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4.20, all <strong>of</strong> the sockeye salmon stocksthat rear for protracted periods (at least one year) in freshwater habitats have exhibiteddeclining productivity over the past 20 years. The Harrison River stock, which spends the67
least time rearing in freshwater habitats, has exhibited increasing productivity over thesame period. Such observations suggest that one or more factors associated withfreshwater systems could be contributing to the decline <strong>of</strong> Fraser River sockeye salmon.Of the four classes <strong>of</strong> contaminants <strong>of</strong> concern that were identified as potentiallyproblematic in the Fraser River Basin, it would be prudent to consider two <strong>of</strong> them ingreater detail. While, the data needed to fully evaluate TSS levels in spawning andincubation habitats were not available, numerous studies have documented the effects <strong>of</strong>TSS and deposited sediment on the quality <strong>of</strong> incubation and rearing habitats.Importantly, data on land use activities suggest that the average annual harvest rates <strong>of</strong>forest resources (as indicated by percent <strong>of</strong> watershed logged) have increased substantiallyover the last 20 years in virtually all <strong>of</strong> the areas <strong>of</strong> interest within the study area. Suchincreases in harvest rates would be expected to result in increases in sediment production,especially in the Bowron, Chilko, Nechako, North Thompson, and Quesnel River areas <strong>of</strong>interest (which have had the highest rates <strong>of</strong> increase <strong>of</strong> timber harvest). Therefore, TSSand associated sediment deposition should not be discounted as a potential factorinfluencing the egg-to-fry survival rates <strong>of</strong> sockeye salmon.The available data show that average escapements <strong>of</strong> sockeye salmon to most <strong>of</strong> the areas<strong>of</strong> interest in the Fraser River Basin have decreased substantially over the past 20 years.There is an increasing body <strong>of</strong> evidence that suggests that the nutrients provided byspawning adult salmon play critical roles in maintaining the productivity <strong>of</strong> freshwaterecosystems. Therefore, the potential effects <strong>of</strong> reduced productivity <strong>of</strong> freshwaterhabitats, due to decreasing returns <strong>of</strong> sockeye salmon, should be evaluated morethoroughly.5.4.2 <strong>Potential</strong> <strong>Effects</strong> on Sockeye Salmon Associated with Exposure to<strong>Contaminants</strong> <strong>of</strong> Concern in SedimentThe potential effects <strong>of</strong> sediment-associated contaminants <strong>of</strong> concern on sockeye salmonin the Fraser River Basin were evaluated using methods similar to those used to evaluatesurface water quality. For each area <strong>of</strong> interest, exposure point concentrations werethestimated by calculating the 95 percentile concentration <strong>of</strong> each <strong>of</strong> the contaminants <strong>of</strong>concern that were retained for detailed evaluation (i.e., cadmium, iron, nickel, BEHP, anddibenz(a,h)anthracene; Table 5.7). These exposure point concentrations were used tocalculate hazard quotients for each contaminant <strong>of</strong> concern in each area <strong>of</strong> interest (i.e., bydividing the exposure point concentration by the selected toxicity reference values forsediment; Table 5.19).68
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February 2011technical report 2<str
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thresholds), which represent lowest
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Table of ContentsE
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5.5 Summary of the
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List of TablesTabl
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Table 4.17Table 4.18Table 4.19Table
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Table 4.47Table 4.48Table 4.49Table
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Table 6.4Table 8.1Compounds for Nat
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Figure 3.17 Map of
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Figure 5.20 Late Stuart Sockeye Sal
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List of Acronyms2,
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AcknowledgementsThe authors would l
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To assist it in fulfilling this man
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• Development of
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Chapter 2 Geographic and Temporal S
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life history of th
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• Pitt River Area of</str
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Chapter 3 Inventory of</str
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and Paper Mills - Canfor Pulp Limit
Page 43 and 44: 3.1.1.2 Sawmills, Plywood Mills and
Page 45 and 46: (ENKON Environmental Ltd. 2001). Co
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Page 51 and 52: facilities identified in Table 3.11
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Page 59 and 60: • Personal care products (fragran
Page 61 and 62: with oxytetracycline, ormetoprim, a
Page 63 and 64: In summary, the contaminants that c
Page 65 and 66: insecticides, such as phorate, terb
Page 67 and 68: 3.1.2.4 Runoff fro
Page 69 and 70: the substances most amenable to lon
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Page 77 and 78: • Data collected for migration co
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Page 85 and 86: For surface water and sediment, the
Page 87 and 88: 3. For hardness-dependent water qua
Page 89 and 90: • 2,3,7,8-TCDD toxic equivalents
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Page 93: 0.05 mg/L; Glew and Hames 1971). As
Page 97 and 98: The results of thi
Page 99 and 100: Interest and in the South Thompson
Page 101 and 102: • Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxi
Page 103 and 104: glycoproteins, polypeptides, peptid
Page 105 and 106: In-use herbicides in the Fraser Riv
Page 107 and 108: and home wood heating; Johannessen
Page 109 and 110: Pulp and paper mills, saw mills, an
Page 111 and 112: salinity tolerance were significant
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Page 121 and 122: observed in saltwater gobies (Chasm
Page 123 and 124: (See Chapters 4 and 5 for further i
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Page 127 and 128: point and non-point source discharg
Page 129 and 130: Location of NatalS
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Page 135 and 136: these substances to aquatic ecosyst
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Page 139 and 140: chemicals of poten
Page 141 and 142: productivity data, it is apparent t
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infection by various disease agents
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magnitude, and spatial extent <stro
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potential concern were documented a
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pathways and the intensity and exte
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Chilko River, Quesnel River, Nechak
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• The majority of</strong
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7.4.6 Information on Interactive <s
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• Development of
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8.4 Preliminary Evaluation
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8.5 Evaluation of
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the low returns of
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8.9 RecommendationsThis evaluation
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Chapter 9 References CitedAdams, R.
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Braune, B., D. Muir, B. DeMarch, M.
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EIP Associates. 1997. Polychlorinat
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Gallaugher, P. and L. Wood (Eds). P
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Hinch, S.G. and E.G. Martins. 2011.
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Kemble, N.E., D.K. Hardesty, C.G. I
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MacLatchy, D., L. Peters, J. Nickle
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Milston, R.H., M.S. Fitzpatrick, A.
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Peterman, R.M., D. Marmorek, B. Bec
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Smith, D.B., R.A. Zielinski, H.E. T
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USACE (U.S. Army Corps of</
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Walker, M.K., J.M. Spitsbergen, J.R
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Table 2.1. Overview of</str
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Table 2.2. Sampling sites for Early
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Table 2.3. Sampling sites for summe
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Table 2.4. Sampling sites for river
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Table 3.1. Listing of</stro
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Table 3.2. Chemicals of</st
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Table 3.8. Major pipelines transpor
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Table 3.10. Locations of</s
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Table 3.11. Listing of</str
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Table 3.16. List of</strong
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Table 3.17. List of</strong
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Table 3.18. Location of</st
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Table 3.20. Summary of</str
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Table 3.23. Estimated annual contam
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Table 3.28. Inventory of</s
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Table 4.1. Selected toxicity screen
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Table 4.2. Selected toxicity screen
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Table 4.3. Summary of</stro
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Table 4.19. Evaluation of</
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Table 4.32. Frequency of</s
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Table 4.53. Identification
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Table 5.1. Selected toxicity refere
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Table 5.2. Selected toxicity refere
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Table 5.3. Exposure point concentra
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Table 5.9. Hazard quotients <strong
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Table 5.11. Hazard quotients <stron
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Table 5.19. Hazard quotients <stron
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Table 5.23. Mean concentrations <st
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Table 6.2. Effects
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Table 6.3. Field studies of
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Table 6.4. Compounds for National r
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Table 8.1. Inventory of</st
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Figures
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Figure 5.1. Water Quality Index sco
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Figure 5.3. Fraser River Sockeye Sa
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Figure 5.5. Pitt Sockeye Salmon Pro
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Figure 5.7. Weaver Sockeye Salmon P
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Figure 5.9. Cultus Sockeye Salmon P
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Figure 5.11. Portage Sockeye Salmon
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Figure 5.13. Fennell Sockeye Salmon
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Figure 5.15. Late Shuswap Sockeye S
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Figure 5.17. Chilko Sockeye Salmon
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Figure 5.19. Early Stuart Sockeye S
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Figure 5.21. Stellako Sockeye Salmo
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Figure 5.23. Bowron Sockeye Salmon
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Appendices
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SW4 Deliverables4.1 The Contractor
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obtained on one species, sometimes
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• For substances for which the se
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WeaknessesThere is a lot of
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Pg 110 Ln 4189 - now called Listene
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the potential effects of</s
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A-14
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4. Fish processing plants are fewer
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Appendix 3. Environmental Data Sour
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4. Keyword searches for water quali
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A3.5 Contaminant Spill ReportsData
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River Pulp, Kamloops Cellulose Fibr
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Table A3.1. Water quality stations
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Table A3.1. Water quality stations
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Appendix 4. Data Treatment and Meth
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when multiple samples were reported
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$ Early rearing of
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i) The number of t
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In addition, some sockeye salmon (e
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• Selecting probable effect conce
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deBruyn, A.M., H. deBruyn, M.G. Iko
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Appendix 5. Data description and so
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Potential Effects of Contaminants on Fraser River Sockeye Salmon

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