Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area
Tags: contaminants, mercury, bioaccumulation, fish
| Principal Investigator: | Guthrie, Glen H (9) |
| Licence Number: | 14803 |
| Organization: | Sahtu Renewable Resources Board |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2011
2010
|
| Issued: | Sep 14, 2010 |
| Project Team: | Glen Guthrie (Participant, Sahtu Renewable Resources Board), Chris Hopkins (Participant, Sahtu Renewable Resources Board), David Menacho (Participant, Tulita Renewable Resource Council) |
Objective(s): To provide current information about the health of some subsistence predatory fish in ten lakes commonly used by residents of the Sahtu Settlement Area; to identify alternative sources of fish from lakes not impacted to the degree as seen in Kelly Lake.
Project Description: This study will provide current information about the health of some subsistence predatory fish in ten lakes commonly used by residents of the Sahtu Settlement Area. This investigation may help to identify alternative sources of fish from lakes not impacted to the degree as seen in Kelly Lake. A future, far more thorough study of mercury abundance and bio-magnification trends may also result from this investigation. Representatives from the SRRB, DFO, GNWT Environment and Natural Resources, and Renewable Resource Councils will fish each lake with lines and collect water, soil and benthic samples. Since the purpose of this study is to identify current baseline levels, we will sample a maximum of five large fish from four possible species by float plane. This is a low impact project and will not involve tagging fish. Benthos collections will likely amount to less than 0.5 kilogram per lake. This project will include community members from Tulita and Norman Wells. A final report outlining the results will be completed by March 31, 2011. Prior to this, the SRRB will facilitate public meetings in all five communities in the SSA and provide plain language handouts that explain the results and ramifications of this study with respect to each community. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from September 10 to October 10, 2010.
