Event Title
Current Use Pesticides that drain into Canadian tributaries: A potential threat to Whale habitats
Streaming Media
Presentation Abstract
Elevated contaminant concentrations in odontocete cetaceans within Canadian waters has been well documented. The Endangered transboundary Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW, Orcinus orca) and St Lawrence Estuary Beluga Whales (SLE beluga, Delphinapterus leucas) face significant threats from high levels of contaminants. The Recovery Strategy for the SLE beluga, SRKWs, as well as the Threatened Northern Resident Killer Whales (NRKW) lists contaminants as a key threat to these whale populations and identifies urban and agricultural runoff and stormwater as pollutant sources. This runoff exposes the whales and their priority prey to a mixture of environmental contaminants, including current use pesticides. Our main objective was to compare levels, loads, and yields of seven current use pesticides (atrazine, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, glyphosate, malathion, permethrin, and simazine) in tributaries within urban and agricultural areas that could impact the habitat of the whales and their prey. These include major Canadian metropolitan areas: 1) the Great Lakes Region (southern Ontario), 2) the Fraser River Basin (British Columbia), and 3) St. Lawrence Region (southern Quebec). The Great Lakes work focuses on tributaries that drain into Lake Ontario, which discharges into the St. Lawrence River its Atlantic estuary. Lake Ontario is the major contributor of pesticide pollution to the St. Lawrence River. Availability and quality of Chinook salmon has been identified as the priority threat to SRKWs. Fraser River Chinook make up a large percentage of the SRKW diet and may be impacted by current use pesticide discharges in the area. Preliminary results show that glyphosate had the highest yields across all sites followed by simazine (Fraser River Basin) and atrazine (Great Lakes and St. Lawrence). Exceedances of environmental water quality guidelines were observed for atrazine, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon. Pesticide hot-spots and exceedances will be discussed in the context of whale recovery.
Session Title
Endangered Species Research
Conference Track
SSE10: Contaminants
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-326
Start Date
26-4-2022 9:45 AM
End Date
26-4-2022 11:15 AM
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
Current Use Pesticides that drain into Canadian tributaries: A potential threat to Whale habitats
Elevated contaminant concentrations in odontocete cetaceans within Canadian waters has been well documented. The Endangered transboundary Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW, Orcinus orca) and St Lawrence Estuary Beluga Whales (SLE beluga, Delphinapterus leucas) face significant threats from high levels of contaminants. The Recovery Strategy for the SLE beluga, SRKWs, as well as the Threatened Northern Resident Killer Whales (NRKW) lists contaminants as a key threat to these whale populations and identifies urban and agricultural runoff and stormwater as pollutant sources. This runoff exposes the whales and their priority prey to a mixture of environmental contaminants, including current use pesticides. Our main objective was to compare levels, loads, and yields of seven current use pesticides (atrazine, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, glyphosate, malathion, permethrin, and simazine) in tributaries within urban and agricultural areas that could impact the habitat of the whales and their prey. These include major Canadian metropolitan areas: 1) the Great Lakes Region (southern Ontario), 2) the Fraser River Basin (British Columbia), and 3) St. Lawrence Region (southern Quebec). The Great Lakes work focuses on tributaries that drain into Lake Ontario, which discharges into the St. Lawrence River its Atlantic estuary. Lake Ontario is the major contributor of pesticide pollution to the St. Lawrence River. Availability and quality of Chinook salmon has been identified as the priority threat to SRKWs. Fraser River Chinook make up a large percentage of the SRKW diet and may be impacted by current use pesticide discharges in the area. Preliminary results show that glyphosate had the highest yields across all sites followed by simazine (Fraser River Basin) and atrazine (Great Lakes and St. Lawrence). Exceedances of environmental water quality guidelines were observed for atrazine, chlorpyrifos, and diazinon. Pesticide hot-spots and exceedances will be discussed in the context of whale recovery.
