Charactering priority pollutants in juvenile chinook salmon in the Fraser River Estuary Watershed
Presentation Abstract
The Fraser River watershed, British Columbia provides habitat for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), which delivers food for First Nations, recreational anglers, commercial fisheries and endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW, Orcinus orca). Extensive forestry, agricultural, industrial and urban activities take place in the Fraser Valley exposing early life history stages of Chinook to a mix of legacy and emerging contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Many of these contaminants can elicit adverse health effects in vertebrates, including endocrine disruption and reproductive effects. However, there exists limited information on the nature of contaminants discharged into salmon habitat in British Columbia, hampering solution-oriented opportunities for natural resource managers and stakeholders. The present study characterizes priority pollutants in juvenile chinook salmon, water, and sediments throughout the Fraser Estuary. Samples were collected in the proximity of two large wastewater treatment plants. A number of analytes detected in fish tissue, sediment, and effluent, were not detected in estuarine waters, suggesting bioaccumulation of these compounds. This study is the first step toward a comprehensive risk-based evaluation of contaminants of concern to wild juvenile chinook in the Fraser Estuary. Results will support the Government of Canada’s Whales Initiative in its quest to identify those contaminants of greatest concern to the primary prey of SRKW and to guide recovery efforts.
Session Title
Session 1.2B: Contaminants in the Salish Sea: Sources, Movement, and Fate
Conference Track
Contaminants, Plastics, Microplastics, Toxicology & Stormwater
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2020 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
2020_abstractID_5735
Start Date
21-4-2020 12:30 PM
End Date
21-4-2020 2:00 PM
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Chinook salmon--Effect of water quality on--British Columbia--Fraser River Estuary
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Fraser River Estuary (B.C.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Charactering priority pollutants in juvenile chinook salmon in the Fraser River Estuary Watershed
The Fraser River watershed, British Columbia provides habitat for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), which delivers food for First Nations, recreational anglers, commercial fisheries and endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW, Orcinus orca). Extensive forestry, agricultural, industrial and urban activities take place in the Fraser Valley exposing early life history stages of Chinook to a mix of legacy and emerging contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Many of these contaminants can elicit adverse health effects in vertebrates, including endocrine disruption and reproductive effects. However, there exists limited information on the nature of contaminants discharged into salmon habitat in British Columbia, hampering solution-oriented opportunities for natural resource managers and stakeholders. The present study characterizes priority pollutants in juvenile chinook salmon, water, and sediments throughout the Fraser Estuary. Samples were collected in the proximity of two large wastewater treatment plants. A number of analytes detected in fish tissue, sediment, and effluent, were not detected in estuarine waters, suggesting bioaccumulation of these compounds. This study is the first step toward a comprehensive risk-based evaluation of contaminants of concern to wild juvenile chinook in the Fraser Estuary. Results will support the Government of Canada’s Whales Initiative in its quest to identify those contaminants of greatest concern to the primary prey of SRKW and to guide recovery efforts.
