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| Last Review/Updated: July 12, 2002 |
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NRBS - HomeTable of Contents |
Northern River Basins Study Final Report
4.0 Study Board Recommendations
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Recommendation 13 Recommendation 14 Recommendation 15 Recommendation 16 Recommendation 17 Recommendation 18 Recommendation 19 |
The synthesis reports prepared by the various study components are appended to this report of the Study Board. They contain a substantial number of detailed recommendations that are drawn to the attention of research specialists and resource managers. All good research reports conclude with a list of suggestions for future research, which is as it should be. But in the case of the northern river basins the needs for future research also reflect the size and length of the rivers and their northern location factors that contribute to a dearth of previous studies. When the NRBS program was conceived it was with the aim of "plugging gaps" in knowledge of the rivers. Many of the gaps have now been filled. At the same time, many new gaps have been identified. Research on the northern rivers must be continued. Research lights the way to the realization of new problems and new opportunities.
The Board views the future for research on the northern rivers as very important. If the rivers are to receive the attention they need to ensure their wise management, they must be given high priority in the research agendas of all levels of government. The recommendations that follow are presented with an appropriate sense of urgency.
Preamble
Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are generally absent or low in the northern rivers but some concentrations observed in burbot from the Peace River system (Wapiti River near Grande Prairie and from the Peace River upstream of its confluence with the Smoky) and the Athabasca River below Hinton were relatively high. PCB concentrations in Wapiti River burbot almost doubled between 1992 and 1994. A few kilometres upstream of the Peace-Smoky River confluence a relatively high concentration was observed in deposited sediments. The relative abundance of different kinds of PCBs was not the same in fish at the Wapiti and Peace River sampling locations, suggesting the burbot on these systems may have been exposed to different sources of PCBs.
Conclusion
These various findings warrant a special follow-up study to identify the sources of the PCBs in the Wapiti, Smoky, Peace and Athabasca River systems.
The Board recommends that:
Preamble
Prior to the Northern River Basins Study, knowledge of the northern rivers was fragmented and incomplete. Some of the major accomplishments of the Study have been to assemble available information, augment the database by filling in gaps and summarize the present state of knowledge of the northern river basins. Much remains to be learned.
Collaboration among the various research sectors has been a notable feature of the Study, building on a modern trend to collaboration as a means of achieving both efficiency and effectiveness. The experience of the Study has underlined that the various levels of government, the First Nations, the universities, industry and the concerned local public have different perspectives on research needs. Their collaboration has helped ensure both quality and relevance.
Conclusions
The Board concludes that to best serve the purposes of management, further research on the northern river basins should be given high priority and the process of synthesis of findings should continue. Particular attention should be given to followup on the research recommendations contained in the synthesis reports.
The Board recommends that:
Preamble
The effects on fish and aquatic organisms of various stresses to which they are exposed may be greater when they are exposed to more than one source of stress at the same time. Thus, a contaminant may have greater effect when dissolved oxygen concentrations are low or, the combination of two different contaminants in effluent may be harmful although neither may be above acceptable individual limits. Fish may thus show signs of possible effects resulting from simultaneous exposure to a variety of stressors. Organochlorine contaminants arising from pulp mill operations have declined in fishes and sediments in the river basins, probably reflecting a switch from chlorine to chlorine dioxide bleaching. Nonetheless, the study observed sex hormone depressions and increased numbers of sexually immature fish collected in reaches immediately below pulp mills. In addition, fish from some reaches in the northern river basins exhibited heightened incidence of lesions and tumours.
Conclusion
For the northern river basins the scientific evidence for cumulative effects is fragmented and the database is currently insufficient to clearly define the nature and extent of the problems. Nevertheless, the Board is satisfied that the weight of evidence is sufficient to raise concerns that the cumulative effect of various stressors in some reaches of the Athabasca and Peace Rivers could be resulting in harmful effects on fish populations. A variety of contaminants in the basins may impair reproductive success of fishes. The possible occurrence of these effects in the northern rivers is a source of concern to the Board and underlines the need for great caution in management decisions for the rivers.
The Board recommends that:
Preamble
Both oil sands development and natural exposure to oil sands deposits may result in concentrations of hydrocarbons and other substances that cause stress to fishes. Assessment of the effects of oil sands development is accordingly complex. Further complications may arise from additions of municipal effluent discharges in the vicinity, such as Fort McMurray, and from nutrient-rich tributaries such as the Clearwater and Steepbank Rivers. Levels of stress were observed in fish from the Wabasca River. It needs to be determined if this stress is due in part to natural exposure to oil sands deposits.
It is expected that oil sands production (which currently accounts for 16 per cent of Canada's total oil production) will increase by approximately 60 per cent between 1994 and 2008.
Conclusion
Further development of oil sands deposits is imminent. A better understanding of stresses induced from natural causes and from human activities is needed especially at certain reaches of the northern rivers which may be most affected.
The Board recommends that:
Preamble
In the past decade, changes in the Slave River Delta have been observed both by the residents and by scientific investigators. Some of the changes might be attributed to the regulation of the Peace River by the Bennett Dam. At the same time, the inflow to Great Slave Lake from other tributaries has been lower than in previous decades and lake levels have been falling with potential impact on the ecological and physical conditions of the Slave Delta. The possible causes of change include not only the water levels but changes in sediment transport in the Slave River for which, at present, there is not sufficient data or understanding. Possible linkages to sediment transport and deposition processes in the Peace-Athabasca Delta add a further dimension of potential complexity.
Great Slave Lake is receiving contaminants from Slave River sediments as well as from airborne and local sources. The subsequent distribution of contaminants is largely dependent on the physical circulation of the lake, which has yet to be described. Since the work of Rawson in the 1940s, which described the limnology in broad terms, there has been no systematic study of physical circulation in the lake. In consequence, the fate of contaminants entering and leaving the lake is not known.
Conclusion
The Board recognizes that the changes to the Slave River Delta may be related to flow interventions upstream that may have had serious effects on wildlife and the people who depend on it. A better understanding of the causes for the physical changes to the delta is necessary to determine the extent to which the Bennett Dam is responsible.
The Board has noted that residents of the Great Slave Lake region are concerned that the lake could become a repository for an increasing load of persistent contaminants. An understanding of the physical circulation of the lake is a critical first stop in addressing these concerns. Despite being one of Canada's largest lakes, relatively little scientific understanding yet exists of Great Slave Lake.
The Board recommends that:
| a) | history of the delta; |
| b) | recent changes to the delta, including erosion and deposition processes; |
| c) | the influence of lake levels and shore processes related to wind, waves, current and ice conditions; and |
| d) | evaluation of the effects of the Bennett Dam, climatic factors and other natural causes on recent changes to the delta. |
Preamble
A continuing program of research is an essential element of natural resource management. Because natural resources are in large part publicly owned and managed, the burden of responsibility for research falls primarily on government and secondarily on industry. The Study has relied very heavily on government personnel in the planning and implementation of its research program. Universities have made significant contributions and the Board has noted with interest the award of a National Centre of Excellence project, led by the University of Alberta, on boreal forest management. More intersectional projects of this kind are much to be desired for the northern rivers.
During the course of the Study, the Board was vividly aware of the cutbacks in government expenditures because of their impact on the Board's program. Federal government cuts were particularly severe in their inland waters and inland fisheries activities. Provincial government cuts meant a significantly reduced wherewithal to address northern basin issues. The fact that the Study was completed more or less on time and on budget is a testimony in large part to the dedication and commitment of the scientists, particularly the Science staff of the Study and the component group leaders.
Conclusion
The Board is greatly concerned that the future management of the basins will not have resources of the same strength on which to draw. The future of the basins will be at risk because of a lack of scientific expertise to adequately monitor the rivers and do research to identify the causes of problems and how they might be resolved. Research is an essential component of management. To fulfil their responsibility for stewardship and management of the northern river basins, governments must develop and maintain leading edge expertise in the agencies charged with monitoring the environment.
The Board recommends that:
Preamble
Many residents of the northern river basins rely heavily on fish as a staple food source. In recent years, the abundance of fish is believed to be declining and is a source of increasing concern to the many who fish for domestic purposes and those who fish commercially.
Numerous fish species of the northern rivers undertake extensive migrations both in the rivers and to and from the large lakes. In consequence, assessment of the capacity of the fish stocks to support fishing must involve the whole network of lakes and streams of the basin. For example, the Slave River is extensively used by fish from Great Slave Lake, fish from the western end of Lake Athabasca move extensively through the lakes of the delta and into the Peace and Athabasca Rivers.
Some assessments of the status of the various stocks of commercially important species have been undertaken at intervals since the 1940s, but no attempt has been made to synthesize data from the lakes and rivers for a comprehensive assessment. Such an assessment perhaps should have been attempted by the Study but other priorities took precedence.
Conclusion
The Board heard several representations from commercial fishermen in northern communities. While most were concerned with the quality of fish, concern was also expressed for declines in abundance.
Available data is probably sufficient for a preliminary assessment of the status of fish stocks in the major lakes and to a lesser extent the northern rivers to which they are connected. The Great Slave Lake Advisory Committee which is representative of users, has established priorities and work is currently proceeding on Slave River / Great Slave Lake inconnu and Great Slave Lake whitefish. Nevertheless, the Board is concerned to have a status report on fish stocks in the Slave River Basin and Great Slave Lake, in support of sustained use.
The Board recommends that:
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