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Submitter: Nicky Haigh
Community: Nanaimo
Date Submitted: November 18, 2010
Summary:
The effects of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on wild salmon in BC have long been underestimated and need to be addressed. The attached document shows that there is a strong correlation between naturally occurring blooms of the fish-killing alga Heterosigma akashiwo in the southern Strait of Georgia, during the time period when juvenile sockeye pass through this area after exiting the Fraser River, and poor returns of adult sockeye two years later (Rensel, Haigh, and Tynan, 2010. Harmful Algae 10: 98-115. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2010.07.005). The recurring and persistent HABs seen in this area may be responsible for a great deal of the low returns and decline of Fraser River sockeye since 1989, and in particular the disastrous return in 2009.
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Submission:
Summary:
The effects of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on wild salmon in BC have long been underestimated and need to be addressed. We have shown that there is a strong correlation between naturally occurring blooms of the fish-killing alga Heterosigma akashiwo in the southern Strait of Georgia, during the time period when juvenile sockeye pass through this area after exiting the Fraser River, and poor returns of adult sockeye two years later (Rensel, Haigh, and Tynan, 2010. Harmful Algae 10: 98-115. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2010.07.005). The recurring and persistent HABs seen in this area may be responsible for a great deal of the low returns and decline of Fraser River sockeye since 1989, and in particular the disastrous return in 2009. |
