NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: South Slave Region

Tags: contaminants, biology, fish health

Objective(s): To study the health of the fish in the Slave River and at the Slave River Delta.

Project Description: The objective of the project is to study the health of the fish in the Slave River and at the Slave River Delta. A number of different fish species will be collected to study metals, organic contaminants, gene expression and histology. The study focuses on the potential stresses that fish in the region are exposed to, by analyzing gene expression (Ribonucleic acid – RNA), metals, and organic contaminants (including poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH’s)), and histology of fish samples. Samples of healthy and unhealthy fish are needed for the study, and will include the following species: Goldeye, Lake Whitefish, Walleye, Northern Pike, Burbot and White Sucker, and Inconnu. The first sampling events happened during community fishing events in Fort Resolution and Fort Smith in June 2011, and were covered under a separate licence (DFO was the lead). This licence application covers the remaining three sampling events at the two sites. Short-set fishing nets will be used to collect the fish. Community members in Fort Resolution and Fort Smith will likely help with collecting fish samples using nets, rod and reel. All fish caught will be brought to a central location for detailed examination and tissue collection. The fish will be euthanized using MS-222 or clove oil immediately on receipt at the examination/sampling location. All samples would be collected from freshly dead animals and would be duplicated: one preserved in neutral buffered 10% formalin and the second in 90% ethanol. Samples from individuals that have been dead for more than two hours will not be useful for histological testing. Local community members in Fort Resolution and Fort Smith will be involved in gathering fish samples together with the research team. Schools in both communities have the opportunity to meet the research team and learn about the study. Finally, information meetings will be held in each community to share information about the study, including preliminary results from the first sampling event (June 2011), as well as an opportunity for community members to directly ask questions to the research team about the study. The project team will conduct statistical power analysis and this information will be used with species availability to refine the sample sizes. This way a maximum of 200 individuals of each species will be collected at each sampling location for each sampling event. The results from the study will be reported back to the communities as soon as possible. The results from the metal analyses from previous sampling events are expected to be finalized first and will be provided to the community at information sessions in the fall/ winter of 2011/2012. The analysis of organic chemicals, RNA and histology will take longer. Final results will be provided to the community in presentation and report format including a plain language summary. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012.