Title
Farm Fish Contaminant Levels in Traditional First Nations Fish and Shellfish Resources
Fiscal Year
2004-2005
Community/Region
Ahousaht First Nation, Klemtu First Nation, Kitasoo First Nation, and the British Colombia Aboriginal Fisheries Commission, British Columbia
Principal Investigator
Dr. Asit Mazumder (University of Victoria)
Community Project Lead
N/A
Project Members
N/A
Project Summary
Marine traditional foods represent an integral dietary component for the residents of the Ahousaht First Nation, Klemtu First Nation, and Kitasoo First Nation. Many of the residents have raised concerns about the environmental impacts caused by the rapid expansion of the aquacultural industry (salmon farming) in British Columbia.
The objective of this study was to collect and analyse clam, rockfish, and prawn samples from various sites for PCBs, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and heavy metals. The levels of these contaminants in wild Pacific salmon were used as a reference for comparison.
The results showed that the levels of many contaminants were highly variable depending on the type of shellfish sampled and the location where the samples were taken. This variability included both large increases and decreases at or near farm sites relative to reference sites that were judged to be hydrologically isolated from farm waste, but in geographically similar areas. Despite the variability, the study authors concluded that even at sites with the largest increases in contaminant concentrations, they rarely approached or exceeded the levels observed in wild salmon, for which associated health risks have been well studied and which are generally considered to be a safe, healthy food.