Can natural variability trigger effects on fish and fish habitat as defined in Environment Canada's metal mining environmental effects monitoring program?

Abstract The amended Metal Mining Effluent Regulations (MMER), will include a requirement for mines to conduct Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) under the authority of the Fisheries Act. The EEM program will determine if mine effluent is having an effect on fish, fish habitat and the use of fisheries resources. The metal mining EEM program strives to balance site-specific requirements with the need for national consistency. The program uses a tiered approach to monitoring, where the results of previous monitoring determine the frequency and extent of monitoring subsequently required. The frequency and extent will therefore vary depending on whether there are observed effects.

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Canadian metal mining environmental effects monitoring program

Journal de Physique IV (Proceedings) ◽

10.1051/jp4:20030245 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 107 ◽

pp. 69-74

Author(s):

D. Audet ◽

N. Ali

Keyword(s):

Environmental Effects ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Metal Mining ◽

Environmental Effects Monitoring

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Pulp and Paper Environmental Effects Monitoring in Canada: An Overview

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.2002.003 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 7-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Sherry L. Walker ◽

Kathleen Hedley ◽

Edward Porter

Keyword(s):

Environmental Effects ◽

Fish Habitat ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Research Priorities ◽

Pulp And Paper ◽

Paper Mills ◽

Fisheries Resources ◽

Pulp And Paper Effluent ◽

Receiving Environments ◽

Environmental Effects Monitoring

Abstract Environmental effects monitoring (EEM) is a requirement for pulp and paper mills in Canada discharging effluent directly into receiving environments under the Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations of the Fisheries Act. The objective of the EEM program is to assess effects on fish, fish habitat and the use of fisheries resources by humans, potentially affected by the deposit of mill effluent in aquatic receiving environments. The information provided by the monitoring program will contribute to assessing the adequacy of the regulations. Difficulties encountered in the first round of monitoring led to an extensive science review of key components and resulted in improvement to process, scientific defensibility of the monitoring data and site-specific flexibility of the EEM program. The second cycle of EEM was, overall, markedly more successful than Cycle 1. However, problems were still evident for fish surveys conducted in marine and estuarine environments. The adoption of improved alternative monitoring approaches (e.g., caged bivalves, mesocosms) should alleviate many of these problems. An overview of the EEM program, results to date, alternative monitoring approaches, and research priorities to fill data gaps are presented.

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Investigation of Cause in Pulp and Paper Environmental Effects Monitoring

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.2005.032 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 261-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

L. Mark Hewitt ◽

Monique G. Dubé ◽

Sandra C. Ribey ◽

Joseph M. Culp ◽

Richard Lowell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Effects ◽

Pulp And Paper ◽

Sufficient Information ◽

Response Patterns ◽

Pulp Mills ◽

Metal Mining ◽

Scientific Disciplines ◽

Specific Stage ◽

Metabolic Disruption ◽

Environmental Effects Monitoring

Abstract Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) Programs in Canada have been developed for the pulp and paper and metal mining industries. The EEM Program conducts cyclical evaluations of receiving environments to determine whether effects exist when facilities comply with existing regulations. Investigation of cause (IOC) is a specific stage in the EEM Program that is used after environmental effects in fish and/or benthos have been detected, confirmed and their extent and magnitude have been documented. This paper presents an overview of the processes associated with this phase of monitoring. The objective of an IOC is to obtain sufficient information so that the source of the effect can be identified and removed, or its effects reduced to an acceptable level. The initial direction of an IOC is dependent upon the type of response patterns observed for fish and/or benthos during EEM cycles and extent/magnitude studies. The framework presented in this paper is based on an amalgamation of research projects conducted at Canadian pulp mills over the last decade and selected studies are summarized as examples. It also represents an integration of several research philosophies and scientific disciplines. The framework is based on national response patterns from the second cycle of pulp and paper EEM studies. IOCs are directed into either an eutrophication-based investigation or a contaminant-based investigation (including metabolic disruption in fish). The framework is constructed with a progression of investigative levels designed to provide more information on the causative factors. Each of these phases also represents a decision point for stakeholders to determine if sufficient information has been attained about the causal factor(s) and whether the IOC should be concluded. It is expected that the framework will evolve with a growing knowledge base of causal factors, as facilities enter into this phase of the EEM Program.

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Introductory Remarks: Scientific Concepts associated with the Development of the Canadian Environmental Effects Monitoring Program

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.2002.002 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 3-6

Keyword(s):

Environmental Effects ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Scientific Concepts ◽

Environmental Effects Monitoring

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Seasonal reproductive patterns and recommended sampling times for sentinel fish species used in environmental effects monitoring programs in Canada

Environmental Reviews ◽

10.1139/a10-004 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 18 (NA) ◽

pp. 115-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Timothy J. Barrett ◽

Kelly R. Munkittrick

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

Environmental Effects ◽

Reproductive Strategy ◽

Mining Industry ◽

Pulp And Paper ◽

Reproductive Pattern ◽

Metal Mining ◽

Reproductive Patterns ◽

Sampling Times ◽

Environmental Effects Monitoring

Canada’s environmental effects monitoring (EEM) program is currently in its fifth cycle of monitoring for the pulp and paper industry and second cycle of monitoring for the metal mining industry. More than 60 different sentinel fish species have been used in the EEM fish population surveys and reproductive impacts have been identified as an issue of concern in the pulp and paper program. A review of the literature was conducted to obtain details of the reproductive biology of each fish species that has been used in EEM studies in Canada. Using available data on seasonal changes in gonadosomatic indices, the seasonal reproductive patterns of Canadian fish species were divided into categories based on reproductive strategy and the timing of initiation of gonadal recrudescence. Recommended sampling times were developed for each reproductive pattern based on periods of temporal stability, minimum variability, and maximum value in gonadosomatic indices within a reproductive cycle. The reproductive strategy, spawning time, spawning temperature, and recommended sampling time were provided for the each sentinel fish species as well as life history characteristics including longevity, age and size at maturity, and mobility. Examination of the fish surveys using small bodied forage species from the EEM pulp and paper program revealed that approximately 72% of these studies were not conducted at the developed recommended sampling times and the magnitude of impacts may be underestimated by failing to sample at the recommended time.

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Assessing Metal Mine Effects using Benthic Invertebrates for Canada's Environmental Effects Program

Water Quality Research Journal ◽

10.2166/wqrj.2002.016 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 251-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Nancy E. Glozier ◽

Joseph M. Culp ◽

Trefor B. Reynoldson ◽

Robert C. Bailey ◽

Richard B. Lowell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Study Design ◽

Environmental Effects ◽

Fish Habitat ◽

Data Interpretation ◽

Benthic Invertebrate ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Metal Mining ◽

Design Elements ◽

Metal Mine ◽

Mine Effluent

Abstract In Canada, the Metal Mining Effluent Regulation is a mechanism developed from the Fisheries Act (R.S., c. F-14, s.1) under which the effects of mine effluent on fish and fish habitat (i.e., benthic invertebrate communities) is determined by Environmental Effects Monitoring (EEM) studies. The Metal Mining EEM (MM EEM) program proceeds in a tiered manner, commencing with determining whether an effect is present and continuing with determining extent, magnitude and cause of the effect. The benthic invertebrate monitoring component of the MM EEM program includes consideration of study design elements such as confounding factors, monitoring frequency, statistical study design, appropriate community endpoints and standardized approaches to site descriptions, field and laboratory methods and data interpretation. We present the approaches and rationale recently adopted for the benthic component of Canada's Metal Mining EEM program. A primary objective of this program was to outline a consistent national program that was scientifically defensible and that would produce the necessary information to evaluate the effectiveness of current pollution regulations.

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Principles and Challenges for Multi-Stakeholder Development of Focused, Tiered, and Triggered, Adaptive Monitoring Programs for Aquatic Environments

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d11090155 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 155

Author(s):

Kelly R. Munkittrick ◽

Tim J. Arciszewski ◽

Michelle A. Gray

Keyword(s):

Environmental Effects ◽

Monitoring Program ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Aquatic Environments ◽

Paper Mills ◽

Monitoring Programs ◽

Adaptive Monitoring ◽

Working Groups ◽

Multi Stakeholder ◽

Environmental Effects Monitoring

In Canada, there is almost 30 years of experience in developing tiered and triggered adaptive monitoring programs focused on looking at whether environmental concerns remain when pulp and paper mills, or metal mines, are in compliance with their discharge limits. These environmental effects monitoring programs were based on nationally standardized designs. Many of the programs have been developed through multi-stakeholder working groups, and the evolution of the program faced repeated frictions and differing opinions on how to design environmental monitoring programs. This paper describes key guidance to work through the initial steps in program design, and includes scientific advice based on lessons learned from the development of the Canadian aquatic environmental effects monitoring program.

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