Investigating the Importance of Water Chemistry on Mercury Concentration in Fish from Mackenzie River Basin Lakes

Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area, Dehcho Region

Tags: physical sciences, contaminants, mercury, water chemistry, fish health

Principal Investigator: Stephens, Glen (1)
Licence Number: 12995
Organization: DIAND, Contaminants Division
Licensed Year(s): 1998
Issued: Jul 24, 1998
Project Team: self

Objective(s): The objective of the work is to characterize the water chemistry of lakes with reported elevated concentrations of mercury in fish from the Mackenzie River Valley, which were sampled as part of the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) fisheries management plan. This would help to establish if there is any relationship between basic lake water chemistry and mercury levels in fish which could be used as a technique to identify areas with potential contaminants problems in the Mackenzie River Valley.

Project Description: The objective of the work is to characterize the water chemistry of lakes with reported elevated concentrations of mercury in fish from the Mackenzie River Valley, which were sampled as part of the Department of Fisheries & Oceans (DFO) fisheries management plan. This would help to establish if there is any relationship between basic lake water chemistry and mercury levels in fish which could be used as a technique to identify areas with potential contaminants problems in the Mackenzie River Valley. Using a float plane and assisted by a local community representative, the project will involve collecting water samples from each lake in order to identify general water characteristics. The collected information will be analyzed statistically to look for any possible relationships. Between one and three water samples will be collected for each lake. A depth integrated profile will also be done for each lake using a hyrdolab.