' f Trace Metal Levels in Bivalves and Crabs From Alice Arm, Hastings Arm and Observatory Inlet, B.C. M.A. Farrell and M.D. Nassichuk Water Quality Unit Habitat Management 0 ivision Field Services Branch Department of Fisheries and Oceans 1090 West Pender Street Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 2P1 June 1984 GULF REGIONAL LlIiRARY FISHERIES AND OCEANS BIBlIOTHEQUE REGION DU GOLFE PECHES ET OCEANS Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 467 ., 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 renects the broad interests and policies of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, namely. fisheries and aquatic sciences. 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Les rapports cpuises seront fournis contre retribution par des agents commerciaux. • Canadian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 467 June, 1984 TRACE METAL LEVELS IN BIVALVES AND CRABS FROM ALICE ARM, HASTINGS ARM AND OBSERVATORY INLET, B.C • • by M.A. Farrell and M.D. Nassichuk Water Quality Unit Habitat Management Divison Field Services Branch Department of Fisheries and Oceans 1090 West Pender Street Vancouver, B.C. V6E 2pl - ii ­ • @ Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1984 Cat. No. Fs 97-13/467E ISSN 0706-6465 Correct citation for this publication: Farrell, M.A. and M.D. Nassichuk. 1984. Trace metal levels in bivalves and crabs from Alice Arm, Hastings Arm and Observatory Inlet, B.C. Can. Data Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 467: vii + 42 p. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS • LIST OF FIGURES iv LIST OF TABLES iv LIST OF APPENDICES .. ... .... .... ... .. v ABSTRACT vi RESUME" " .................................................... vii INTRODUCTION . .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. MATERIALS AND METHODS 3 SAMPLE COLLECTION 3 SAMPLE PREPARATION 4 Cockles 4 Crabs 4 LABORATORY ANALYSIS 5 • RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................... 6 • COCKLES: GENERAL 6 Arsenic 7 Cadmium 7 Chromium 8 Copper .. 8 Lead 8 Manganese 9 Mercury 9 Molybdenum 9 Ni ckel 10 Zinc 10 CRABS: GENERAL 10 Arsenic 1 1 Cadmium 1 1 Chromium 12 Copper 12 Lead 13 Manganese 13 Mercury 13 Molybdenum 14 Nickel •••••. 14 Zinc 15 CONCLUSION 15 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 17 REFERENCES . ... .. .. 18 - iv ­ LIST OF FIGURES Pa_ge FIGURE Study areas in northern British Columbia .••.••.• 21 FIGURE 2 Otter trawl, king crab pot and cockle dive stations in Alice Arm, Hastings Arm and Observatory Inlet, B.C. ..................................... 22 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1 List of organisms from Alice Arm, Hastings Arm and Observatory Inlet, B.C., analyzed for trace metals 23 TABLE 2 Otter trawl coordinates and depths for trawls conducted in Alice and Hastings Arm, 8-10 October, 1983 •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 24 TABLE 3 Crab pot locations, depths and soak times in Alice and Hastings Arm, October-November, 1983 •••••••. 25 TABLE 4 Summary of length and weight data for cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii) collected from Davies Po int, Observatory Inlet, B.C. •••..•.••••.••...• 26 TABLE 5 Summary of length, weight, sex and sample location data for crabs collected from Alice and Hastings Arm, B • C . •••••••••••.••.••••••.••...••••••••.••. 27 TABLE 6 Trace metal data (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, Mo, Ni, Zn) (dry weight) for individual cockles collected from Davies Point, Observatory Inlet, B.C •••••••• 0.................................... 28 TABLE 7 Trace metal data (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, Mo, Ni, Zn) (wet weight) for individual cockles collected from Davies Point, Observatory Inlet, B.C. ...•..•...•..•...•......•.••...•......•.••.. 29 TABLE 8 Trace metal data (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, Mo, Ni, Zn) (dry weight) for individual Red, Golden and Tanner crabs collected from Alice and Hastings Arm, B.C •••••••.••••••••.•••••.••••.•••••.••••.• 30 TABLE 9 Trace metal data (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, Mo, Ni, Zn) (wet weight) for individual Red, Golden and Tanner crabs collected from Alice and Hastings Arm, B.C •••..••.•••••..•••••..••••••.••••...••.• 31 TABLE 10 Summary of trace metal data in crabs and cockles from Alice Arm, Hastings Arm and Observatory Inlet, B.C. ..................................... 32 - v - LIST OF APPENDICES • APPENDIX I List of heavy metals analyzed and their detec­ tion limits in tissues •••...•.••..••.••..••• 35 APPENDIX II Certified and analyzed metal levels in refer­ ence tissue standards •.•••.•••.•.•••.••••••. 36 APPENDIX III Canadian Health and Welfare Guidelines and Food and Drug Regulations •••..••.••..•••••.• 37 APPENDIX IV Mean values for tissue metal levels reported in cockles from Alice Arm and Davies Point, 1982 • •••••••••• •••••• ••••. ••••••• ••••• ••• ••• 38 APPENDIX V Tissue metal levels (ranges) reported in other bivalves from Alice Arm and Southern B.C. locat ions ................................... 39 APPENDIX VI Summary of metal levels in bivalves (pelecypods) reported from selected coastal locations throughout the world. ..•••••••••.••.•..•••.• 40 • .. - vi ­ ABSTRACT Farrell, M.A. and M.D. Nassichuk, 1984. Trace Metal Levels in Bivalves and Crabs from Alice Arm, Hastings Arm and Observatory Inlet, B.C. Canad ian Data Report of Fisher ies • and Aquatic Sciences, No. 467, vii + 42 p. Alice Arm, the southern terminus of Observatory Inlet in Northern British Columbia, is the site of the Amax of Canada Ltd. Ki tsaul t molybdenum mine. When operat ing, the mine discharges approximately 12,000 tons of tailings daily into Alice Arm from a submerged outfall located between Roundy and Lime Creeks. This discharge has created considerable concern, arising in part from the potential for trace metal accumulation in marine organisms which are traditionally harvested in recreational, commercial and native food fisheries in the area. This study which examined trace metal concentrations in cockles and crabs from Alice Arm, Hastings Arm, and Observatory Inlet was initiated in response to these concerns. The findings are compared (where applicable) with Health and Welfare standards for acceptable trace metal levels in edible fish tissue, as well as with values reported in the literature for bivalves from other coastal locations in British Columbia and elsewhere in the world. Key Words: Shellfish, cockles, crabs, trace metals, Amax of Canada Ltd., Al ice Arm, Hastings Arm, Observatory Inlet, B.C. - vii ­ / / RESUME Farrell, M.A. et M.D. Nassichuk, 1984. Trace Metal Levels in Bivalves and Crabs from Alice Arm, Hastings Arm and Observatory Inlet, B.C. Canad ian Data Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, No. 467, vii + 42 p. La mine de molybdene Kitsault de l'Amax of Canada Ltd. est situee au bras Alice, la partie la plus au sud de l'inlet Observatory (nord de la Colombie-Britannique). Quand elle est en exploitation, cette mine rejette environ 12,000 tonnes de residus chaque jour dans Ie bras Al ice a partir d' un point de decharge immerge situe entre les ruisseaux Roundy et Lime. 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