Environmental impact of chemical wastes produced by the salmon aquacultureindustry

The rapid expansion of the salmon aquaculture industry in the last decade a nd the intentional and unintentional use of many chemicals have resulted in wastes that may have a direct environmental impact. Thus. methods and crit eria are required to assess the environmental impact of these chemicals, in particular to identify the hazards and assess the risks of their uses. We describe a project in progress that is aimed at identifying the source of c hemical wastes of salmon aquaculture in the Bay of Fundy, the quantities re leased, their distribution, and environmental fate. The project is also con cerned with the effects of chemical wastes on important fisheries resources . Laboratory studies indicated that chemicals used in the treatment of sea- lice infestations are lethal to shrimp and lobsters. Lobsters exposed to su blethal concentrations of one of these chemicals, azamethipohos, had decrea sed reproductive success compared to control lobsters. However. more inform ation is required to estimate the associated risk to wild populations of lo bster and shrimp.