A new study by researchers at Canadian universities, the Canadian government, and community scientists has found that high levels of salt, usually poured on roads to prevent vehicles from skidding, are responsible for killing fertilized coho salmon eggs.
What's happening?
The study monitored salt in more than 30 streams in Metro Vancouver. Surges of salt during the winter create 10 times the water quality guidelines for chloride in freshwater systems. As road salt is made up of sodium and chloride, when it dissolves on the road, it seeps into the groundwater and streams.
Streamkeepers, who had been tracking the issue for years, identified the issue years ago. The study began as "they came together and said 'we think that there's a problem here.' They brought it to researchers at UBC, SFU, and BCIT and that got the ball rolling," said Clare Kilgour, who is working on her master's degree in zoology at UBC and has links to the study, to the Vancouver Sun.
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The study found that salt pulses for 24 hours caused 70% of coho eggs to die, with hatched fish having better survival rates.
Why are coho salmon important?
Such revelations are particularly disheartening, considering coho salmon are already threatened. More salt in the wound comes as their numbers seemed to be increasing in past years, only to be diminished by this.
Not only are coho salmon valuable to the general population, as they maintain a healthy ecosystem environmentally and economically, but they are also deeply embedded within the culture of Indigenous groups. They are a symbol of sustenance, a key part of the diet, and utilized in trading efforts. All of the ways Indigenous people use coho salmon are not harmful to the environment, as they uplift sustainable methods of trade and avoid mass fishing.
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Indigenous cultures who benefit from the coho are threatened by the decline of salmon. Without cultural relics, a corner of human experience disintegrates.
What's being done about the decline?
Researchers in the study have said they "are not advocating for eliminating salt on roads" because, without the grit, it's a safety issue for humans. What they do hope to do is have their research "lead to better practices" such as using "brine or beet wastewater," which can also help grit icy roads.
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