Abstract
Major sources of stress on the Gulf of St. Lawrence ecosystem include climatic changes on one hand and human-induced interferences such as physical modification, pollution and harvesting on the other hand. There are indications that these changes have significant impact on the oceanography, ecology and fisheries of the Gulf. The potential danger to the fishery includes physical, biological and chemical contamination. The impact of dredge spoils on herring fisheries has been recognized. Although direct physical damage to spawning beds can be avoided by proper choice of disposal sites, the effects of increased suspended sediment load in water on eggs, larval and juvenile herring remain unknown. Impacts on sedentary species such as clams (bacteria contamination), mussels (physical smothering) and oysters (chemical uptake) have been demonstrated. Potential stresses to lobster are known to include uptake of heavy metals or other toxic substances from contaminated dredge spoils.
The current information on the effects of contaminants on fish populations is very limited. Sources of contaminants in the Gulf of St. Lawrence include various industrial and technological activities, domestic sewage, solid waste, agriculture and forest spraying. Much of the forest area in New Brunswick was subjected to DDT spraying between 1952 and 1967. There were reports that the first spraying of the northwest Miramichi with DDT was followed by virtual elimination of gaspereau, shad and smelt runs. Many young salmons were killed and stocks were endangered. It is conceivable that herring spawning beds in the Miramichi Bay were contaminated with DDT derivatives and some herring, reacting like salmon may have not returned to their spawing grounds. Construction of the Canso Causeway in the mid 1950’s has produced dramatic changes in the physical oceanographic regime within Canso Strait. Sources of man-made changes include not only urban and industrial changes, but also factors associated with fish harvesting interactions. The interactions not only involve the predator-prey relationships, but also the technological interactions arising from species by-catch. At present an increasing demand for harvesting commercially valuable species will inevitably result in changes in the ecosystem that are difficult to assess
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Messieh, S.N., El-Sabh, M.I. (1988). Man-Made Environmental Changes in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, and their Possible Impact on Inshore Fisheries. In: El-Sabh, M.I., Murty, T.S. (eds) Natural and Man-Made Hazards. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1433-9_34
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1433-9_34
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