Chemical Characteristics of Selected Cape Breton Rivers, 1985 Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No
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08000530 Chemical Characteristics of Selected Cape Breton Rivers, 1985 D. K. MacPhail. D. Ashfield and G.J. Farmer Enhancement, Culture and Anadromous Fisheries Division Biological Sciences Department of Fisheries and Oceans Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 2S7 . June, 1987 Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 654 Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Data reports provide a medium for filing and archiving data compilations where little or no analysis is included. Such compilations commonly will have been prepared in support of other journal publications or reports. The subject matter of data reports reflects the broad interests and policies of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. namely. fisheries and aquatic sciences. Data reports are not intended for generill distribution and the contents must not be referred to in other publications without prior written authoriziltion from the issuing establishment. 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Les nUl11eros 26 a 160 ont ete publies it titre de rapports statistiques du Service des peches et de la mer, ministere des Peches et de l'Environne ment. Le nom actuel de la serie a ete etabli lors de la parution du numero 161. Les rapports statistiques sont produits a l'echelon regional, mais numerotes it I'echelon national. Les demandes de rapports seront satisfaites par I'etablissement auteur dont Ie nom figure sur lil couverture et la page du titre. Les rapports epuises seront fournis contre retribution par des agents cOl11merciaux. Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences June, 1987 CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SELECTED CAPE BRETON RIVERS, 1985 D.K. MacPhail, D. Ashfield and G.J. Farmer Enhancement, Culture and Anadromous Fisheries Division Biological Sciences Department of Fisheries and Oceans ,. Halifax, Nova Scotia i B3J 2S7 • ~Minister of Supply and Services Canada, 1987 Cat. No. Fs 97-13/0654E ISSN 0706-6465 iii CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ••••• iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS v ABSTRACT/RESUME. vii INTRODUCTION. 1 MATERIALS AND METHODS 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ••• 1 REFERENCES ••" ••• LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1- Some chemical characteristics of the Ri ver Denys system during May and J u1 Y , 1985. · · · · · · · · · 3 TABLE 2 • Some chemical characteristics of the Middle River system during May and J u 1 y , 1985. · · · · · · · · · 3 TABLE 3. Some chemical characteristics of the Baddeck River system during May and J u 1 Y , 1985. · · · · · · · · · 4 TABLE 4. Some chemical characteristics a f the North River system during May and J u1 y , 1985. · · · · · · · · · 4 TABLE 5. Some chemical characteristics of the Barachois Ri ve r system during May and J u 1y , 1985. · · · · 5 TABLE 6 • Some chemical characteristics of Indian Brook during May and J u1 Y , 1985 . · · · · · · · · · 5 TABLE 7 • Some chemical characteristics a f the Ingonish River system during May and J u 1 y , 1985. · · · · · · 5 • TABLE 8. Some chemical characteristics of the North Aspy River system during May and J u 1 y , 1985. · · · · · · 6 TABLE 9. Some chemi cal characteristics of the Salmon River system during May and J u 1 y , 1985. · · · · · · · · · 6 i v TABLE 10. Some chemical characteristics of the Framboise River system during May and July, 1985. • • 7 TABLE 11. Some chemical characteristics of Marie Joseph Brook during May and July, 1985 • . • • • • • 7 TABLE 12. Some chemical characteristics of the Grand River system during May and July, 1985. • • • • • • • • 8 TABLE 13. Some chemical characteristics of the River Tillard system during May and July, 1985. • • • • • 8 TABLE 14. Some chemical characteristics of the River Inhabitants system during May and July, 1985. 9 v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FIG. l. Location of rivers included i n the sampling program . · · · · · · 10 FIG. 2 . Water sampling sites on River De nys · · · · · · · · 1 1 FIG. 3. Water sampling sites on Middle River. · · · · · · · 12 FIG. 4. Water sampling sites on Baddeck River · · · · · 13 FIG. 5 . Wate r sampling sites on North Rive r · · · · · · 14 FIG. 6. Water sampling sites on Barachois River 15 FIG. 7 . Water sampling site on Indian Brook · · · · 16 FIG. 8. Water sampling site on Ingonish River · · · · · · · 17 FIG. 9 • Water sampling sites on Nort h Aspy River. · · · 18 FIG. 10. Water sampling sites on Salmon River. · · · 19 FIG. 1l. Water sampling sites on Framboise Rive r · · · · 20 FIG. 12. Water sampling sites on Marie Joseph Brook. · · · · 21 FIG. 13. Water sampling sites on Grand Rive r · · · · · · · · 22 FIG. 14. Water sampling sites on River Tillard · · · · · 23 FIG. 15. Water sampling sites on River Inhabitants · · · 24 • vii ABSTRACT MacPhail, D.K., D. Ashfield and G.J. Farmer. 1987. Chemical characteristics of selected Cape Breton rivers, 1985. Can. Data Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. No. 654. vii + 24 p. Chemical characteristics of 14 rivers located in the Cape Breton East management zone were measured on two occasions during i985. Only limited information on the characteristics of these rivers previously existed, and the results of this study can be examined to aid in determining their sensitivity to acidic precipitation. In this regard, a number of Atlantic coast rivers in mainland Nova Scotia have become more acidic during at least the past 30 years, in response to increased acid loading by precipitation, and native salmon populations in some have become extinct. Salmon have been angled in all except one of the 14 study rivers during the 1980-85 period, and total catch per year in these rivers has represented from 6% to 14% of the annual totals recorded for Nova Scotia. Key words: Atlantic salmon rivers, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, water chemistry. RESUME MacPhail, D.K., D Ashfield and G.J. Farmer. 1987. Chemical characteristics of selected Cape Breton rivers, 19&5. Can. Data Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. No. 654. vii + 24 p. En 1985, a deux reprises, on a mesure les caracteristiques chimiques de 14 cours d'eau situes dans la zone est de gestion du Cap-Breton. On ne disposait jusqutalors que d'une information limitee sur les caracteres de ces rivieres; on pourra examiner les resultats de cette etude, afin de determiner la sensibilite de celles-ci aux precipitations acides. Dans le meme ordre d'idees, un certain nombre de rivi~res du littoral atlantique de la peninsule de Nouvelle-~cosse sont devenues plus acides depuis au moi ns trente ans, en rai son de 1 I accroi ssement de 1 a charge acide introduite par les precipitations, et dans certaines, les esp~ces endemiques de saumons se sont eteintes. On a peche du saumon dans 13 des 14 rivieres etudiees, durant la periode de l'etude (1980-1985), et le total annuel des prises y representait 6% a 14% ges totaux annuel s enregi stres dans l'ensembl e de 1 a Nouvelle-t:cosse. INTRODUCTION addition of 1 mL of 50% HN03 solution. All chemical analyses of river water were A number of mainland Nova Scotia performed upon return to the laboratory. A rivers which drain to the Atlantic coast Metrohm Herisau pH meter was used to have become more acidic during at least the determine pH values for all sites within 24 past 30 years in response to increased acid hours of sampling. Total hardness, total loading by precipitation (Watt et al. alkalinity, chloride and sulfate were 1983). The most seriously acidified rivers measured by using techniques outlined in are those found on bedrQck composed of Environment Canada (1981): total hardness granite and/or greywacke, and in some as CaC03, by EDTA titration to Eriochrome rivers, the native populations of Atlantic Black T colour change; total alkalinity as salmon have become extinct. Rivers which CaC03, by potentiometric titration with lie on slate have higher pH values and the H2S04 to pH end points of 4.5 and 4.2; highest values are found for rivers which chloride, by the automated thiocyanate drain areas of carboniferous sediments. method; and sulfate, by titration with Watt et al. (1983) also demonstrated that barium chloride, after adding thorin the pH values of some rivers are inversely indicator.