NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Sahtu Settlement Area

Tags: contaminants, mercury, fish health, burbot

Objective(s): To work with the Fort Good Hope community to determine burbot contaminant concentrations (especially mercury) and their relationship to potential contributing environmental factors and any consequences for community dietary health.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5906. Short-term goals are to determine if burbot contaminant concentrations: • Are above or below Health Canada guidelines (i.e. <0.5 ppm mercury per gram fish). Annual data will be provided to NWT Health and Social Services for evaluation; • 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); • Look for linkages between historical environmental/meteorological ecosystem parameters and burbot contaminant data (for the entire FGH burbot data set). Long-term goals for this project are: • To continue to build (increase statistical power) the FGH burbot data set, thereby increasing ability to detect contaminant changes over time. • To work with the FGH RRC to identify additional priorities for research and/or monitoring, and to establish a robust communication strategy. In late fall, 2024, the research team will ask that the Fort Good Hope Renewable Resources Council put an announcement out to collect burbot (whole fish). Individual fishermen are invited to to collect burbot and be compensated $75 per fish. Frozen fish will be shipped to the University of Manitoba for processing (e.g. measuring length and weight, tissue sub-sampling, sexing, aging). Legacy POPs and brominated and fluorinated organic compounds will be analyzed at ALS. 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 early 2025 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). Allan Torng from 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 last such visit was conducted in early 2023. A poster is also being prepared to be distributed to the community in public spaces to explain the project and results; this will be properly vetted by the NWT HSS and other stakeholders prior to distribution. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: June 02 - December 31, 2024