Is road salt killing Pacific salmon? That's what a new B.C. study is trying to find out
As wintry weather hits Metro Vancouver, a team of researchers is looking at whether an increase in the use of road salt could be harming and even killing local salmon.
Dr. Chris Wood, a professor in the department of zoology at the University of British Columbia, is one of the lead researchers on a five-year project that will engage academics and citizen scientists in an attempt to measure salt levels in local rivers and streams and the impact on both the salmon and their food sources.
"We know that Pacific salmon are in precipitous decline and the situation with the runs in the Vancouver Lower Mainland is especially critical. It's a multi-factorial, multi-stress situation we believe. But one important component -- which we believe has been overlooked -- is the potential impact of road salt runoff," Wood tells CTV News.
"We know that this salt is dangerous to aquatic life."
First, with the help of locals, "streamkeepers" data will be gathered measuring the salt levels in 30 to 50 local streams set to be studied.will be measured. Then, lab-based researchers will expose freshly-fertilized salmon eggs to the same levels of salt and observe the impact.
"We're trying to see whether the salt levels we're recording in the streams in the Lower Mainland are impacting the growth of the fish, the survival of the fish, the behavior of the fish, the physiology of the fish and in the end -- their ability to go to sea," Wood explains.
At the same time, researchers will be conducting similar studies on some of the invertebrates that salmon eat – like worms, midges and mayflies.
"We may find, in fact, that the impact on the food source is actually greater than the impact on the health of the fish themselves," Wood says.
One of the reasons behind the study is a significant uptick in the use of road salt. In Canada, the amount used is increasing at about 2.5 per cent per year. In B.C. the amount has increased five-fold in the last decade, Wood says, from 200,000 metric tonnes to one million. This data, he notes, is based on voluntary reporting and may not be 100 per cent accurate.
"But certainly the apparent trend is upward both nationally and provincially," he says.
Wood says the project will see collaboration between scientists from three universities, a network of volunteers and citizen scientists, and the Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans. In addition, it will have an outreach component, meant to encourage people to reconsider how much salt they use, opt for pet-friendly products that are thought to be less harmful to salmon, and to use sand as an alternative if possible.
“If we can educate the public and create some interest in the political sphere, that's going to help the salmon in the long run," Wood says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Miss Teen USA steps down just days after Miss USA's resignation
Miss Teen USA resigned Wednesday, sending further shock waves through the pageant community just days after Miss USA said she would relinquish her crown.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
NEW How Canadians can watch the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Europe’s top pop stars are out and about for the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in Malmo, Sweden.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Debate on abortion rights erupts on Parliament Hill, Poilievre vows he won't legislate
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.