Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area
Tags: contaminants, water quality, fish health, burbot
| Principal Investigator: | Stern, Gary (7) |
| Licence Number: | 17229 |
| Organization: | University of Manitoba |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2023
|
| Issued: | Oct 18, 2023 |
| Project Team: | Agoston Fischer, Colin Macdonald, Daniel Jackson |
Objective(s): To continue to build (increase statistical power) the Fort Good Hope (FGH) burbot data set, thereby increasing our ability to detect contaminant changes over time; and, to work with the FGH Renewable Resource Council to identify additional priorities for research and/or monitoring, and to establish a robust communication strategy.
Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.5414. The short-term goals are to determine if burbot contaminant concentrations: 1) Remain below Health Canada guidelines (i.e. <0.5 ppm mercury per gram fish). The research will provide annual data to NWT Health and Social Services for evaluation; 2) Are associated with dietary indicators, i.e. stable isotope ratio data (15N, 13C) to determine the influence of diet (via stable isotope ratios) on contaminant concentrations in current fish, although previous results suggested no association (Carrie et al. 2010); and, 3) to look for linkages between historical environmental/meteorological ecosystem parameters and burbot contaminant data (for the entire FGH burbot data set). The long-term goals for this project are: 1) to continue to build (increase statistical power) the FGH burbot data set, thereby increasing our ability to detect contaminant changes over time; and, 2) to work with the Fort Good Hope Renewable Resource Committee (FGH RRC) to identify additional priorities for research and/or monitoring, and to establish a robust communication strategy. In late fall, 2022, the research team have asked that the FGH RRC put an announcement out to collect burbot (whole fish). Individual fishermen are invited to to collect burbot. Frozen fish will be shipped to the University of Manitoba for processing (e.g. measuring length and weight, tissue sub-sampling, sexing, aging). Legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) will be analyzed at ALS Laboratory, with the location of analyses for brominated and fluorinated organic compounds to be determined. Processing of burbot, mercury analysis, and analysis of stable isotope ratios of nitrogen and carbon will be done at the University of Manitoba. Agoston Fischer will travel to Fort Good Hope in 2023, to 1) report upon project results; and 2) consult with the Council on their priorities within the scope of the project (e.g. research objectives, outreach). A member of the Department of Health & Social Services (Government of the Northwest Territories) will also join the community visit to provide answers and recommendation regarding the consumption of burbot based on the data collected so far. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from March 17, 2023 to December 31, 2023.
